A video of a North Carolina student spewing racist slurs has blown up on social media, prompting the local school district to take disciplinary action.
The student from South Columbus High School, part of the Columbus County School District, has been reprimanded after appearing in the offensive video, local outlet WCET 6 Wilmington first reported.
“Columbus County Schools was made aware last week of a video containing racist language being used by a student off campus,” Columbus County Superintendent Dr. Deanne Meadows and Columbus County Board of Education Chairman Dr. Ronnie Strickland said in a joint statement Monday that was shared with The Daily Beast. “We find the video highly inappropriate and offensive and we understand the hurt and outrage it has caused among our students, parents and communities. Disciplinary action has been taken.”
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The officials stressed that school should be a safe environment for everyone.
“Our doors are always open, and we want to build trust and a positive relationship with our students, staff and communities. We know that we have work to do in this area, and we have taken proactive steps to fulfill this vision by adding a position focused on equity, inclusion and diversity,” the statement read.
The local news outlet shared a portion of the video in its broadcast, but with the student’s face blurred and the offensive language edited out.
Mandalyn Russ-Bellamy, a 2013 graduate of South Columbus, posted the video in full on her Facebook page. She said that current students at the high school forwarded her the video from SnapChat.
“This is unacceptable,” she wrote. “A student at South columbus thinks this is a joke!! This needs to make its way to the board & Make an example out of him. Period!!”
In the six-second clip, a white teen can be seen in a long-sleeve shirt that reads “DEDICATION.” The video is watermarked with the caption, “My school [racist] asf.”
The unidentified student walks around a home and says, “I’m with the n-------. Down with the n------.”
He then raises his right fist and chants, “White power. White power!”
The video has over 4,400 views and 170 comments.
Many in the comments claim the video is not the only instance of racism that’s plagued the school community in recent years.
“This has always been an issue at South Columbus High School[.] it's just seems to be coming out alot more now, than it did when we were in school... This is unacceptable,” a person wrote under the video.
“This definitely needs to be stopped and he should be kicked out of the school,” another wrote. “His chanting sounds violent to me! It’s time people stand up for what’s right and this is definitely wrong and someone needs to take ACTION!”
In the district’s press release, Meadows and Strickland asserted that district staff members are trained regularly on maintaining inclusive environments.
“We cannot control outside factors, but we will address them immediately when it affects our schools, and we will continue to educate our students about the importance of treating all people with respect and dignity,” they continued.
“We strive to provide the absolute best for all of our students, and will continue to focus on improvement in all areas,” their statement concluded.
