Angry parents question how dancer was invited to perform for Atrisco Heritage High School prom
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Editor’s Note: The performer in this story spoke to KRQE News 13 over the phone, he said he was not hired for the prom but did not elaborate further.
Angry parents are wondering what school officials were thinking when they invited a provocative dancer to perform at the school’s prom. The video began circulating online this weekend and parents are demanding answers from school authorities. The performer, who was in drag, expressed anger and concern for his safety since the video began circulating.
Atrisco Heritage Academy High School’s senior prom was last Saturday at the Kiva Auditorium Convention Center and parents were shocked to see who was performing at the event. Parents told KRQE News 13 it was highly inappropriate.
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“It’s just like ‘oh my God, can you believe this happened?”, ‘Wow here’s a video’, ‘wow that happened at prom?’, ‘wow, how disgusting’. Inappropriate,” said one mother.
A performer in drag was invited to perform at Atrisco Heritage Academy’s senior prom. Parents KRQE News 13 spoke to wanted to remain anonymous to protect their children’s identities.
One mother says her son went to prom and told her what happened, since then, the video has gone viral and sparked outrage. Other parents say something like this shouldn’t have been approved and added that staff and chaperones should have intervened.
“What did they think they were going to get out of it? Like that’s so inappropriate,” said another parent who wanted to remain anonymous.
“Why were the parents not warned that this was going to be happening at a school function? It’s still a school function, parents should still be made aware of the situation whether it’s a dance at school, sports, parents should be made aware of what is happening,” said Morgan, mother of a student at Atrisco Heritage Academy High School.
Parents questioned how the school considered this an age-appropriate event for teenagers.
“I’ve had multiple kids at this school, and I’ve never had to deal with this issue until this year. And this year it just seems like they’re failing, they’re failing the students, they’re failing the parents, to me it’s a fail all around,” said Morgan.
The performer told KRQE News 13, that he is angered by the reaction to the video and the media attention it has received. He says he has since received death threats and threats against his employer. He declined to speak to KRQE News 13 on camera.
One parent said she wanted a refund for her children’s prom ticket. Albuquerque Public Schools emailed a letter to parents on Wednesday saying the school district is investigating what occurred and how students were impacted. They add this is a personnel matter and no other information is available at this time.
