Noose found in bathroom at Arundel middle school

A noose was found hanging in a boys’ bathroom stall at Chesapeake Bay Middle School on Thursday, according to a letter the school’s principal sent to families. The noose, made of toilet paper, was tied to a metal beam inside the stall at the Pasadena school. The bathroom was located on a side of the building that is under construction and only used for lunch periods, according to Principal Michael Dunn. A staff member removed the noose from the bathroom after the incident. County police are investigating the incident. “While I cannot discuss more specifics, we are confident that the individual has been identified,” Dunn said in the letter. “We will continue to investigate to make sure that no one else was involved. In addition to any actions by police, I will seek disciplinary action in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct.” The incident comes a little more than a week after the words “Kill all Blacks” were found scrawled on a piece of paper students use to sign in and out of counseling sessions at Chesapeake High School. Dunn said he stands with Chesapeake High Principal Stephen Gorski in asking parents to have conversations with their children about “hate, bigotry and intolerance.” Dunn said the incident overshadows the school district’s focus on inclusion and unity. “I am completely and utterly disgusted that this happened,” the principal said in the letter. “Too many times in our community we have had to address messages and acts that speak against all that our school stands for. It needs to stop.” The county pursued hate crime charges against two men who hung a noose from a light fixture outside Crofton Middle School in May 2017. John Havermann brought his case to trial and was found not guilty of two hate crime charges. He was convicted of misdemeanor trespassing and disturbance charges. Conner Prout pleaded guilty to one