![Wayland Historical Society Executive Director Scarlett Hoey explains the history of the Cochituate Gatehouse.
"The exterior is still a nice monument to remember buildings [involved in] water history," Hoey said. "We all drink lots of water, and it's such an important resource that we kind of take for granted nowadays."](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_2024-1200x800.jpg)
On Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 8:30 p.m., Superintendent David Fleishman and Police Chief Ed Burman released a statement announcing that the reported racist incident in October did not warrant criminal charges.
In the incident, a green plastic “children at play” street-safety figure wearing the athletic jersey of a Black student was found hanging by a belt around its neck from a ceiling pipe in the boys’ locker room.
According to Fleishman and Burman, Wayland Police worked with officials from the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office who specialize in racial and bias-motivated incidents, and determined that there was no criminal, hateful or racial motivation behind the incident.
“We are mindful of the meanings, intentional or not, that certain symbols or actions have on Wayland and members of our community,” the statement said. “The pain that resulted was palpable, and we cannot ignore the harm that this incident has done to the community.”
With investigations closed, Fleishman and Burman said Wayland Public Schools will continue to work towards increasing awareness and education around symbols of racism and hate.
“The lack of awareness of how this display could be perceived as racially-motivated and cause such hurt highlights the acute need for an increase in education, sensitivity and understanding of hate-based symbols,” the statement said.
Additionally, Fleishman and Burman said Wayland will engage in learning and enrichment activities to improve the understanding of race and culture. Wayland Public Schools is currently working with “outside experts” to deliver training, team building and learning experiences for students, student-athletes and staff members.
“No member of our community should feel unwelcome or unsafe in Wayland,” the statement said. “Together we will continue our collective effort to foster a greater sense of community and humanity.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article included a different headline. It has been updated for clarity and to more accurately reflect the findings of the investigation.
