CHARLOTTE — For hours Saturday, parents and young children near Polo Ridge Elementary were possibly exposed to disturbing and graphic words by vandals.

Someone re-worked temporary letters inside the marquee sign, and also busted permanent letters outside the school. Parents of Polo Ridge Elementary students couldn't find the words when reacting to the words a vandal put on the school's front marquee sign.

"This is a very diverse, multicultural area and for something like that to be done to this school, is awful,” said parent Jenny Dahlstrand.

Someone broke the locks and replaced another notification with several curse words and a racial slur.

"It feels like some kind of teenage prank, that is totally disgusting or something went terribly wrong, it's not even funny. I mean you can break in and say funny things. But that is just horrible," said Dahlstrand.

A passerby saw the sign's offensive language and removed the letters before a maintenance worker took them away for good early Saturday afternoon.

Parents hope the prank does not overshadow Polo Ridge's positives, since it is one of the district's highest-achieving elementary schools.