**School Airs Out Parents’ Concerns over KKK-Themed ‘Jingle Bells’ Performance in a Classroom
*N.H. High School Parents Want Answers About Why Students Were Allowed to Perform Racist Song Set to Tune of ‘Jingle Bells’
*’Jingle Bells’ Turned Into Racist Tune as Part of History Project at New Hampshire High School
*As Some Parents Remain Outraged by Racist Holiday Jingle Performed at High School, Others Defend Teacher Responsible
*’Utterly Disgusted’: Parents Offended by Racist Holiday Jingle High School Students Performed as Part of History Project
Outrage has erupted at a high school in New Hampshire after two students performed a racist holiday jingle as part of a history project last month. Now parents and students want answers and are waiting to see what happens next.
Parents met at an assembly at the Dover High School Monday, Dec. 10, to discuss the Snapchat video of students singing “KKK, KKK, Let’s kill all the Blacks” to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
It was part of an assignment that called for a Christmas jingle to be transformed “into an explanation about a racially charged event,” 11th-grader Chloe Harris, who recorded the clip, told CBS Boston. She said she was “uncomfortable” with the prompt, which was “supposed to be part of a unit of study on the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.”
The teacher responsible has been placed on paid administrative leave and investigators are still working to discover the reasoning behind the assignment. Meanwhile, parents remain upset.
“I’m utterly disgusted by the entire situation,” one parent stated. “I find it impossible to believe that 16 and 17-year-old young men thought ‘Let’s kill all the blacks. Let’s kill all the blacks’ in jest was somehow completely OK.”
Dover Superintendent William Harbron has said more examination is needed before he can determine if any students should face disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, some parents defended the teacher, with one declaring, “He is not a racist.” Others said the assignment was a simple mistake.
“The teacher who was involved, I would never, ever say something like he’s racist or bias or anything like that. Straight shooter,” parent Brian Bolden told the news station.
However, students say the assignment is part of racial tensions brewing in the school.
“It’s not a one-thing incident. It happens over and over again, so it brought light to it,” 10th-grader Palmira Wilson said.
The meeting did not yield to any decisions being made. Rather, faculty and city leaders wanted to get insight into the parents’ issues as they ponder solutions.
