Naperville police and school officials are investigating a racial slur discovered on a Naperville Central High School student’s athletic locker earlier this month.
The word “n—–” was found written on the locker door after an Oct. 18 sophomore football game, according to the family of the student and school officials.
Naperville Central’s administrative team and the Naperville Police Department are conducting probes. No disciplinary action has been taken, officials said.
But with more than a week elapsed since the slur was found, the mother of the student wants answers.
“I don’t think people understand that this is my son,” Quiana Richardson said in a call Monday. “That this is my child that this happened to. It’s bad enough that he does feel kind of uncomfortable in his skin being at this school. But it’s like you all solidified it by writing that on his locker.”
Richardson said she and her 15-year-old son, who she asked not be named, were made aware of the incident the night of Oct. 18.
Her son had just played in a sophomore football game at Naperville Central, Richardson said. As they were driving home, her son saw a Snapchat photo on his phone that showed his locker with “n—–” written on it, according to Richardson.
“I literally almost swerved into the car to the right of me,” she said. “I had to get over and park the car. … Once I saw it, I said (to my son), ‘Listen, you need to screenshot that and send it to me right now.’”
Richardson immediately forwarded the photo to one of her son’s football coaches, she said. The next day she sent emails to several Naperville Central administrators and district leadership, she said.
After being made aware of the situation, Naperville Central “immediately launched an investigation … and provided support to the students impacted by this incident of hate speech,” Naperville Central principal Jackie Thornton wrote in an Oct. 25 email to students, families and staff members.
“When incidents of hate speech or discrimination are reported, our administration follows a thorough and rigorous protocol to investigate and address each situation fully, ensuring that appropriate actions are taken to safeguard our students and uphold our commitment to equity and respect,” Thornton said in her message.
In an email to the Naperville Sun, Thornton said she was “deeply saddened and disappointed by the incident.”
The school’s investigation has included “interviewing students, reviewing video footage from hallways … and speaking with staff and families,” she said.
Thornton also said the “racist word written in pencil on the athletic locker was cleaned off with a rag by students” and that “no evidence of the word remains.”
Richardson, however, maintains the slur is still partly visible on her son’s locker because the etched imprint it left on the metal.
“The entire last week … my child had the same locker,” Richardson said. “He had to see that every time he was in the locker room.”
Richardson said she does not think Naperville Central has been taking the situation seriously.
“If they really took this seriously, they would have stopped (football) practices from varsity all the way down to freshmen. … If you cared about my son, if you care about his well-being or even his mental health, why didn’t you all stop practices and really sit these kids down and make it really, really known to them that this is not tolerated?” Richardson said.
Naperville police were made aware of the incident on Oct. 21 and “immediately started an investigation in conjunction with the school’s investigation,” Naperville police Cmdr. Rick Krakow said Monday.
Police have not identified a suspect yet, Krakow said.
Asked if the incident is being investigated as a hate crime, Krakow said, “Once we collect all the facts, we will present those facts to the state’s attorney, who will then give us guidance on charges … and if it is deemed to be a hate crime.”
For their criminal investigation, police are “looking into anybody that would have had the motive and the opportunity to commit the crime,” he said.
Richardson said she just wants “them to find out to who did it” and for that suspect to be “charged with a hate crime.”
Choking up, Richardson paused.
“I just want my kid to have a better education.”