A virtual meeting was called to address a real problem some parents say is being ignored by administrators and church officials at St. Pete Catholic High School.

It all came to ahead two months ago when racial slurs and threats were found written on bathroom wall on campus. That's when the local NAACP chapter stepped in to support the black students and families’ concerns, but civil rights leader say, that's sparked even more problems.

“Actually the day after the press conference, six students in six different cars put Confederate flags on their cars and drove to school.”, said St. Pete NAACP president Esther Eugene, “About the week after to the press conference someone else called the N-word into the gymnasium bleachers.”

Eugene announced that the U.S. Department of Justice is launching an investigation into how the faith-based school has been handling the situation.

Fabre Williams, whose son is in his first year at St. Pete Catholic, watched the virtual meeting and said it will be his last year, because she has lost faith that the school, the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

“It does nothing to my faith,” Williams said. “However, it definitely causes me to question them — the church, the Catholic church. It makes me question the school: What are their motives when comes to our children?”

The school falls under the authority of the Diocese of St. Petersburg. In an email to Spectrum Bay News 9, diocese officials said many steps have been taken to address the issue.

In an email to Spectrum Bay News 9 Thursday, the school detailed steps that had been taken since the issue first came to light:

From the very moment we discovered the racist graffiti on our campus, the school took immediate action — which included all of the following:

• Locking down the bathroom and starting an internal investigation
• Publicly denouncing racism and prejudice in written and oral communications to all school stakeholders
• Activating an anonymous tip line
• Coordinating with St. Pete Police
• Faculty and staff training
• Focus on racial harmony during all school Masses
• Hundreds or hours of small group parent listening sessions where every school parent was invited to participate
• Several meetings with the leadership of the NAACP, including one with the Diocesan Committee on Racial Harmony
• Conversations with elected officials
• Programs and speakers for students
• An open-door policy for students to speak directly to the principal
• A comprehensive school culture and climate survey in cooperation with Johns Hopkins University School of Education

In addition, we hired an investigator, a former FBI agent, to conduct a thorough, independent investigation. We did not place any restrictions on that process because we wanted the investigator to follow the facts wherever they led and have as much time as she needed to ensure a complete and accurate final report.

The investigator just informed us yesterday that we should anticipate a final report by mid-April. At that point, we will communicate with the St. Pete Catholic community about the findings. We have taken this matter seriously and are committed to finding answers.

Our Catholic faith is very clear on racism and racist acts. It will not be tolerated. In fact, our faith calls us to be advocates and allies for the disenfranchised.