After graffiti was scrawled in the boys bathroom, the Baltimore School for the Arts began alerting parents to the incidents saying the school had been “struggling” with hate speech and asked for student and parent help in resolving the problem.

“Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been struggling with graffiti in the boys bathrooms here at BSA. Some of the imagery includes what can easily be defined as ’hate speech.’ We have communicated with students about the issue, reviewed camera footage, and spoken with students. We have also asked students to bring us any confidential information that they may possess,” school administrators said in an email message Monday.

The message, posted on the school website, said the school was taking the incidents with “the utmost seriousness” and that they are attempting to identify who did the graffiti and discipline them.

They asked parents to encourage their children to come forward if they have any information on the graffiti. “We are committed to making sure BSA is safe and inclusive for all members of the school community,” the message said.

The email was signed by the principal and an assistant principal.

School officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

liz.bowie@thebaltimorebanner.com