Six students from Salmon High School in Salmon, Idaho, are facing disciplinary measures after being photographed wearing shirts that spelled out the N-word.
The photo, which was posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Sept. 26, and has since been deleted, depicted the teens encircling a mixed-race female student on the ground. The white students were seen making obscene gestures, while the girl on the ground also raised her middle finger towards the others behind her.
According to Troy Easterday, the superintendent of Salmon School District 291, the students were “not maliciously” trying to promote an anti-Black agenda.
“As superintendent of the Salmon School District, I am well aware of the current situation happening with a social media post by our Salmon School District students. At this time, the administrative team of the Salmon School District is investigating this post and will keep the community aware within the legal confines of the law,” Easterday said in an interview with KTVB.
He added that these types of situations are always “taken seriously.”
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“Our team did not hesitate to act. We did all the right legal steps to make sure disciplinary action was taken,” he said.
He also took to Facebook to explain the district’s position on the incident and what it seems to communicate to the public.
“The Salmon School District does not condone, and has never condoned, what was expressed on social media today. Disciplinary action has been taken,” the superintendent stated.
He also mentioned that the district’s administrative team is investigating the post and will keep the community informed within the bounds of the law regarding this provocative incident.
Easterday also noted in the video, which was posted at 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27, that the district had contacted the police and board members to notify them of the incident.
Some parents were outraged, especially those with children and family members of color.
“The post is disgusting and amounts to a hate crime. I’m ashamed and embarrassed. My husband is one of two, maybe three African-Americans in this town. I’m afraid that if I speak out too much, it could affect my job or my small business,” one woman told East Idaho News in an interview.
One mother stated that she is considering withdrawing her children from the district, fearing that the children responsible for staging the racially offensive photo will go unpunished.
“The reason there’s hate in this community is because no one takes action. Period,” the mother said. “These kids are old enough to know right from wrong. Parents need to do better. But you can’t solely blame the parents for this, as some of them are 18. They’re adults. It’s disturbing.”
