A New York school district said it was investigating “racially offensive images” after photos of nooses were allegedly displayed in a collage at Roosevelt Middle School on Long Island.
Arthur Mackey Jr., a pastor at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Roosevelt, shared photos of the collage in two Facebook posts over the weekend. The nooses appeared under the words “back to school necklaces” in the photo collage, which also had the words ha and yes around the nooses. Mackey also alleged on Facebook that dolls with nooses around their necks were given to children of color at the school.
Roosevelt Union Free School District said in a note on its website that it was made aware of the “inappropriate conduct” at Roosevelt Middle School on Thursday, adding that “appropriate action” was taken. “The Board of Education has zero tolerance for the display of racially offensive images,” the message read. The district said it couldn’t comment further, however.
THREE ROOSEVELT NEW YORK MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS REVEALED IN RACIST BACK TO SCHOOL NOOSE PHOTO: Roosevelt Middle School…
Posted by Arthur Mackey on Saturday, February 9, 2019
News 12 Long Island reported that the “appropriate action” was taken against three specific teachers, but it’s unclear whether they were fired. In a later Facebook post, Mackey called on the school board to fire the teachers involved, calling the collage a “horrendous ‘racist’ act that has been perpetrated against our children.”
Hempstead town supervisor Laura Gillen told NBC News that the imagery “is undoubtedly racist and should not be tolerated in our town or any other community.” She added that “the imagery is also deeply insensitive and troubling to anyone with mental health issues and those contemplating suicide.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
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