Teens disciplined by school after Facebook video with racial slur goes viral
A group of high school students from Caroll Senior High School in Southlake, Texas, are in hot water after sharing a racial slur-laden video on Facebook Friday night. Caroll Independent School District (ISD) said that the racist stunt violates the Student Code of Conduct, and “consequences” have been handed down to the students, according to the Star-Telegram.
In the video, the teens — girls and boys — are chanting the n-word and at one point can be heard saying, “We up on that black [expletive].” On Monday, school officials met with the students and their parents. Afterward, Carroll ISD released a statement that read, in part, “We are extremely disappointed that any of our students would be involved in making a video involving a racial slur … While we have certainly had to investigate and respond to individual incidents of inappropriate language and use of racial slurs in the past, having a video posted in such a public forum requires a very direct approach by community leaders.”
The statement acknowledged the unfortunate nature of social media as a vehicle for hateful content, but made it clear that was not an excuse for the misbehavior: “It’s a tough social media world out there for our kids, for sure. But as Dragons, we are better than this. We must value and respect everyone and avoid any actions that promote racism or hate speech … To be clear, there is no excuse or explanation that is acceptable for behavior or speech that promotes racism.” The full statement can be read here.
Some students at Caroll Senior High School agree that racism is a problem in their community. “Racism is something that just cannot be tolerated,” said Trevor Easton, a junior at the school, to Fox 4 News. “I was definitely frustrated by the content. It’s definitely not exemplary of what our whole student body is about.
According to the Student Code of Conduct, “Using ethnic, racial, or gender-related slurs (verbal or written) or inappropriate acts toward a specific person/group based on their race, ethnicity, gender or other protected basis” is a level 3 offense, for which the consequence can be anything from a verbal reprimand to exclusion from extracurricular activities and in- or out-of-school suspension.
School officials will not disclose the specific punishment brought down on the students in question due to “confidentiality laws.”
Part of the Student Code of Conduct also clearly states that “students are prohibited from…posting…messages that are abusive, obscene…threatening [or] harassing…” and that it “applies to conduct off school property if it results in … disruption to the educational environment.” The video was indeed shot off campus and after school hours, but Caroll ISD claims the viral nature of the video classifies it as disruptive.
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