Noose found at Stephen Decatur on MLK assassination anniversary

BERLIN, Md. — A noose was found in the boys' bathroom at Stephen Decatur High School on April 4, school officials said.

The noose was found during the lunch periods on Wednesday, said Carrie Sterrs, coordinator of public relations and special programs.

April 4 was the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

The school system issued the following statement regarding the incident:

"Worcester County Public Schools does not condone this insensitive and inappropriate behavior, and our administration has conducted a thorough investigation into this matter in partnership with law enforcement. At this time, appropriate disciplinary action has been taken."

Lt. Edward Schreier said the Worcester County Sheriff's Office was made aware of the incident and after investigation, turned the investigation over to the school system to be handled internally.

Roxie Dennis-Acholonu, president of the Worcester County NAACP, said the organization heard about the incident and she reached out to Superintendent Lou Taylor the day after it happened. She said the community is very concerned and wanted to know what the NAACP would be doing.

More: Worcester vows to close testing, teacher diversity gaps

More: Police, Worcester NAACP talk about race issues

Dennis-Acholonu said Taylor assured her the incident was being investigated and something would be done. The NAACP will be updated with the final outcome and following that, she said the organization will plan its next step.

Dennis-Acholonu said Taylor assured his door was open to continue the discussion and he was respectful about the matter.

"I was pleased with that," she said.

Stephen Decatur High School is located in Berlin, Maryland. Berlin is located in Maryland's Worcester County.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, Stephen Decatur had 1,346 students enrolled during the 2015-2016 school year. Of those, 1,054 students were white and 147 students were black.

More: 'Pyramid of White Supremacy' creates controversy at Salisbury University

More: Salisbury native turns racially charged incidents into opportunities