A swastika was found spray-painted on the upper stadium parking lot of Catonsville High School (CHS) on Hilltop Road on Friday night, Oct. 2.
Principal Annie Kress alerted families of students in a letter sent on Saturday, Oct. 3. The letter stated that the Baltimore County Police Department was notified and is investigating.
A spokesperson for Baltimore County Public Schools told Baltimore Fishbowl there were no slogans or graffiti other than the one swastika spray-painted on the lot. While she confirmed there are security cameras on CHS’s campus, she did not know if there was one in the parking lot on Hilltop Road.
“BCPS recognizes that symbols and words of hate are deeply upsetting and have no place in our school communities,” the BCPS spokesperson said. “An investigation is underway in collaboration with Baltimore County police.”
Kress’ letter to CHS families is below.
Vandalism is a misdemeanor crime according to Maryland law, and this incident could be prosecuted as a hate crime because a swastika is widely known to be a symbol that “exhibits animosity against” Jewish people. If the person(s) who spray-painted the swastika on school grounds is a student, however, they might only be disciplined in accordance with the Student Behavior Code.
In August 2026, before teachers and students reported back to school, two swastikas were found spray-painted outside Phelps Luck Elementary School in Columbia, Maryland, which is in the Howard County Public School System. At the time, Baltimore Sun reporter April Santana wrote that the swastikas were each 12 to 18 inches wide and found outside in an area of the school that does not receive “significant foot traffic.” Security camera footage showed they had been there since Aug. 7, though they were not discovered until after the school year started weeks later. Phelps Luck principal Shawna Holden emailed families about the discovery on Aug. 26.
Diana Kaplan has three children, the oldest of whom graduated from CHS and the youngest of whom is a freshman there this year. She is Latina and her husband is Jewish. She is troubled that there are students who likely feel scared.
“I don’t know if I’m shocked by this,” Kaplan told Baltimore Fishbowl. “The current [federal] administration has given people a license to be assholes and be more vocal about it. I’m saddened that there are kids attending CHS who now likely don’t feel like it’s the ‘safe space’ they may have thought it was.”
Melanie Coates has been a teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools for more than 30 years. She has been teaching English at Western School of Technology and Environmental Science (Western Tech) since 2020 and previously taught journalism for 19 years at Catonsville High School. Coates had not heard about the swastika vandalism at CHS, but was distressed to learn of it.
“A hate symbol has no place in this community and especially on school property which should be inclusive and a safe space,” Coates told Baltimore Fishbowl. “I hope the vandals are caught and people in the community speak out—and that BCPS does so. Kinda crazy I haven’t heard anything about it.”
Catonsville does not have a large Jewish population in comparison to the Greater Baltimore area. According to The Associated’s 2025 Pulse Survey, the Jewish population of Baltimore City and County is 85,200 Jews. Broken down by ZIP code, however, in Catonsville (21228) the Jewish population is at the low end, numbering between 500-999.
Howard Libit is executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council (BJC), an agency of The Associated that, in addition to educating, strengthening interfaith relationships, and legislative advocacy, fights against antisemitism and hate. Libit said the school did the right thing by informing the school community immediately.
“Unfortunately, our schools reflect our communities, and so when we have rising antisemitism in our communities, we’re going to unfortunately see incidents, whether it’s graffiti or bullying or other things,” Libit told Baltimore Fishbowl. “Unfortunately, while we want our schools to be a safe haven for our kids, some of the negativity from the surrounding world bleeds into it.”
Baltimore County Police Department told Baltimore Fishbowl that the investigation is ongoing.
“Outreach officers from the Wilkens Precinct are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding a bias incident that occurred at Catonsville High School,” the Baltimore County Police Department said in a statement to Baltimore Fishbowl. “This incident was reported on October 2. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 410-887-4636.”
