Morgan Hill Police last week investigated a notebook found at Live Oak High School with a swastika and other hateful messages written inside it, and cited a student in relation to the incident.
Someone posted a photo of the offending writings on NextDoor, late in the afternoon Oct. 12. The photo showed a page in a notebook—with two hands on the edges holding it upright—that had a black swastika scribbled onto it, the digits “88” and antisemitic profanity. Location information within the post said it was from the Live Oak High School campus on East Main Avenue.
After a reporter for this newspaper left a message for Live Oak Interim Principal Glen Webb on Oct. 13, the Times was contacted by Morgan Hill Unified School District spokesperson Lanae Bays.
“The image that was posted on social media is abhorrent, and completely against the values of our school district,” Bays wrote in an email. “To support our students and staff, we are providing additional access to counselors, as the emotional well-being of our school community is our top priority.”
Bays added that the district could not comment further because the incident is under police investigation.
The school contacted the Morgan Hill Police Department shortly after noticing the social media post containing the image of the notebook, authorities said.
Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Scott Purvis said during an investigation, officers recovered the notebook and identified a Live Oak student who said they found the notebook with the swastika and offending messages scribbled inside it. That student was cited for disruption of school services—a violation of the state educational code—for being in possession of the notebook, Purvis said.
Investigators—restricted by state law from interviewing minors under most circumstances—have not determined who drew or wrote the hateful messages in the notebook, Purvis added. The student who claimed to have found the item is not the same person who posted it to social media.
Police do not think there is an ongoing threat or danger to the school or community in relation to the incident, Purvis said.
