At least two students at a high school in Florida are facing consequences after photos and videos circulated on social media showing them holding up a Black doll to mock a Black student-athlete.
The incident occurred during a Sept. 10 girls’ volleyball game between Andrew Jackson High School and Fernandina Beach High School, which is predominantly white, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Andrew Jackson High School is almost 90 percent Black.
One witness, who attended the game to watch her daughter play, spoke to local station Action News Jax in Jacksonville, claiming that white students targeted the Black teenager after she fell on the court.
Antoinette Beckton told reporters, “One of our players fell, and she was injured. They began to stand up with a black doll, and they were saying, ‘Oh, she’s dead. It’s just another one. She’ll be OK.’”
“Beyond disbelief,” Beckton told the outlet. “There were no words. I was furious.”
The Nassau County School District immediately launched an investigation and released a statement via Facebook on September 15, saying it found the students’ behavior violated the school district’s codes of conduct. Students would face disciplinary action, but the district cited privacy laws to withhold further details.
According to the statement, a Fernandina Beach High School student received the doll for a parenting class assignment that required bringing it to the game in a baby carrier.
At several points, other students removed the doll from the carrier, and two white students held it in the air while shouting.
The review did not substantiate reports that students used racial slurs during the match, but the district noted that the absence of confirmed slurs “does not make the other described acts acceptable.”
The district called their behavior “inappropriate,” adding, “We are deeply sorry for the events that occurred in our gym along with the hurt and distress it caused. Students and guests who enter a Nassau County school should be treated with dignity and respect, which was not demonstrated during this event.”
The district also said Fernandina Beach High School will take steps “to ensure appropriate conduct,” including increasing supervision at athletic events and organizing community-building activities between the two schools.
It’s unclear whether the disciplined students are facing expulsion or consequences beyond the school level.
