Suffolk County's human rights commission sent a letter to districts across the county offering to help schools struggling with increased bullying following the election of President-elect Donald Trump.
The letter from the county was sent to more than 70 districts across the county on Thursday after faith leaders learned of "increased incidences of bullying" following the election.
"We are reaching out to ensure that all school climates are one where students feel safe and supported physically, emotionally, and academically," the office said in the letter.
It comes as several instances of racially-tinged incidents in schools -- from bathroom stall vandalism to lunchroom chants of "build a wall" -- make headlines in the news.
At least one parent in Suffolk County said that her 13-year-old saw Hispanic students at her school being bullied the day after the election.
Lisa Santiago said that her daughter watched other classmates chant "deport him" to another student and "build a wall" in the hallways following the election.
The head of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission, Rabbi Steven Moss, said that there have been about a dozen reports of such bullying in county schools.
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"I could certainly see this racheting up," he said. "One kid calls a name, says 'We're gonna deport you' and another loses it and punches him."
Charles Russo, the president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association, said that the bullying is not a widespread problem but said schools will keep students safe.
Ryan Lenz, spokesperson for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups and crimes, said Trump's election "has ripped opened wounds of racial resentment in this country, wounds we thought were healed or we were working to heal for some time."
The SPLC has received reports of 200 racially-tinged incidents and hate crimes from across the U.S. since the election and it's working to review them and understand what is going on, Lenz said.
Trump, whose candidacy was marked in part by promises to deport undocumented immigrants and monitor and ban Muslims, received more than 52 percent of the vote in Suffolk County on Election Day.
The SPLC has created an online forum where people can report hate incidents: splcenter.org/reporthate.
