Police visited Mount Vernon S.T.E.A.M. Academy on Monday after Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland said he spotted racist graffiti there last week.

"I was driving home, after a long, long week on Friday, upon passing Mount Vernon S.T.E.A.M. Academy, I witnessed a Sambo caricature smoking what looks like a joint and had racial connotation next to it," Strickland said.

The Sambo image has historically been used to stereotype Black men in a derogatory manner. That's why Strickland said he had crews remove the graffiti Monday morning, as soon as supplies were available.

"It represents hate and it happened to make it our building. It's just unfortunate," Strickland said.

Strickland said some students may have seen the graffiti before it was taken down.

Rev. F. Romall Smalls, an alum of the school, encouraged students to use this incident to call for change.

"There's all kinds of division going on in our country and in our community, but we have to choose as a community, as a county, as a nation to stand up and say no to hate," Smalls said.

School officials were seen working with police on Monday morning.

"I hope they find them, and I hope they find them quickly," said worker Gordy MacDonald.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward, as the school's security cameras don't capture the street where the graffiti was found.