A group of Cypress, Texas, high school students is in hot water after senior photos depicting them giving the Nazi salute surfaced online.
During photo day Tuesday, Jan. 31, white Cypress Ranch High School students allegedly threw up the Nazi salute after a few Black students did the Black power fist. The Nazi-themed photo was supposed to be one of two photos, a serious and a funny photo, the senior class took, reported KPRC Channel 2, but many did not find the last photo funny.
Twitter user @louismccorgilee shared text messages from students who claimed this was not the first racially charged incident at the school.
In that tweet, there were also other texts that claimed teachers stood idly by as the students gave the salute. “They just let them be nazi boys,” one text said. “There were so many of them too,” another text read. “IDK why nobody said anything.”
this is happening at my siblings' middle and high schools in houston. pic.twitter.com/t7ab0RKuQI
— louis (@louismccorgilee) January 31, 2017
An anonymous student, who was present at the photo shoot, wrote to KPRC telling the outlet that there were an estimated 70 students and many of them shouted “Heil Hitler” and “Heil Trump” as the photo was taken. The school’s principal sent a letter home to parents on Tuesday addressing the controversy surrounding the photo.
It reads:
“This letter is to make you aware of a situation that occurred on our campus today while our senior class was taking a large group panoramic picture. Several of our students made the poor choice of displaying inappropriate gestures during this time. Unfortunately, many of these images have been shared on social media. This is extremely disappointing as this is not an accurate representation of our student body.
“We are currently conducting an investigation and those implicated will be punished according to the Student Code of Conduct.
“We ask that you talk to your students regarding the posting and sharing of negative social media as this perpetuates a false image of Cy Ranch HS.
“We appreciate your partnership and support.”
