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Asian teen spat at, harassed with racial slurs outside a Fairfax County middle school, officials say
An Asian teen was reportedly harassed with racial slurs and spat at outside of a middle school in Fairfax County earlier this week.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. - An Asian teen was reportedly harassed with racial slurs and spat at outside of a middle school in Fairfax County earlier this week.
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Police say the incident happened around 6:20 p.m. Monday at the Longfellow Middle School campus in Falls Church. The teen reported to police that he was attempting to use a recreational field when several other juveniles confronted him and made derogatory remarks. The teen told police he was not injured but that the group spat near him during the incident.
According to a letter from the principals of Longfellow Middle School and McLean High School, the victim was an FCPS student and was approached by four individuals who allegedly "spit at the victim and used anti-Asian racial slurs."
FCPS officials tell FOX 5 that the victim was not a Longfellow MS student, nor were any of the alleged suspects, and it is still unclear is any of those accused in the incident were FCPS students at other schools.
"We stand with our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, staff and community and unequivocally denounce racism and discrimination of all kinds and to condemn all acts of hate," said Longfellow MS principal Jim Patrick and McLean HS principal Ellen Reilly. "We are committed to ensuring safe spaces for all of our students and interrupting any experience that would cause pain and trauma as a result of racialized (or other identity based) violence."
Officers say the School Resource Officer assigned to Longfellow MS is investigating the incident.