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3 Pasco Schools Cover Up Graffiti Before Classes Start

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By RONNIE BLAIR

rblair@tampatrib.com

Published: December 6, 2008

HUDSON - Three Pasco County schools had to do some quick cleaning up Friday morning after graffiti was found on walls, sidewalks, stop signs and elsewhere.

A staff member reported the vandalism about 5:15 a.m. at Hudson High, Hudson Middle and Northwest Elementary schools, the Pasco County School District reported.

The three schools are next to one another on Cobra Way.
Maintenance workers painted over the graffiti, and the Pasco County Sheriff's Office is investigating, the school district reported.
Principal Steve Van Gorden at Hudson Middle said his school received the brunt of the graffiti and it's suspected a middle school student might be the culprit.

"It was pretty bad," Van Gorden said.

The graffiti included profanity, swastikas, a reference to the Ku Klux Klan, staff names and student names, he said.
Van Gorden appeared on the school's morning news show to talk about the incident. He was heartened by the students' reaction.

"They were very upset with what happened with the campus," he said.
Van Gorden also planned to send an automated telephone message to parents.

Students at Northwest Elementary never saw the graffiti because it was painted over by the time they began arriving about 9:15 a.m., said Holly Oakes, assistant principal at the elementary school.

"It did not affect our school day here, fortunately," Oakes said.

She said the graffiti at her school included profanity and one graphic picture but mostly was symbols such as stars, hearts and peace signs. There also were some names.

The elementary school graffiti was on a portable classroom, two stop signs and the main building's rear exterior wall, she said.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218.

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