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NAACP meets with principal over racist graffiti

Posted at 4:40 PM, Mar 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-07 10:43:34-05

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla.- Officials with the Lee County chapter of the NAACP met with the principal of North Ft. Myers High School Friday, four days after racist graffiti was discovered scrawled on the dugout.

Both the school and NAACP believe the person who scrawled the N-word and Swastika on the dugout was not a student or faculty member.

 "When you look at graffiti of that nature and the hurt and the harm that type of graffiti causes, especially persons of color and other racial backgrounds, its not needed in todays society," said NAACP Spokesperson Frank Morgan.

Morgan says he is satisfied with how Principal Matt Mederios is handling the issue with students.

"Letting them know exactly where he stood and this type of behavior would not be tolerated on North Ft. Myers High School campus."

Mederios told Fox-4 in a statement Friday.

"I am happy to have had the opportunity to address some of their (the students) misperceptions and to assure them that the staff and faculty are equally offended by the recent act of ignorance."

Morgan says Mederios has a good track record of dealing with racial issues.  The most recent example, when a student came to school with a confederate flag in her pick-up truck last August.

"He dealt with that right away and the flag was immediately removed, of course the incident at the end of last school year, with the noose with Coach Gary, he handled that well."

In the days since the incident, cameras were installed at the ball field and deputies will be patrolling during home games.