Some members of the NAACP protested outside a suburban Phoenix school Monday after a photo of students spelling out a racial slur with T-shirts showed up on social media last week.
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Desert Vista High School students dressed up for senior group pictures wearing T-shirts which spelled out the racial slur “n****r”.
We want to let you know we share your outrage and disappointment over the actions of a handful of our students today.
“The racist images and discriminatory behavior created and exhibited by Desert Vista High School students is shocking, outrageous, and should give everyone cause for concern”, he said.
“They took the senior photo, all went well, apparently these girls went off to the side and rearranged what you see in the photo”, Tempe Union High School District spokesperson Jill Hanks said.
The district superintendent says the six students have been suspended for more than five days, but would not elaborate further on their punishment. She said all students read “To Kill A Mockingbird”, a novel by Harper Lee that contains the n-word.
Desert Vista also confirms two of the students have been benched from the school’s nationally ranked soccer team as part of school policy until their punishment is decided.
The suspended girls said that the photo was originally intended for the boyfriend of one of the girls, who is black.
A school district spokeswoman told KPNX the students took this photo after the official yearbook photo was taken.
School officials said the picture was shared on social media, and has generated global attention. She described the incident at the school as reflective of a “closed-off community”.
“Honestly, I don’t really think it was meant to be hurtful, but it was a joke that wasn’t amusing at all”, said Davis.
In 2014, a teacher at Desert Vista filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging she experienced racism and that the administration did not respond appropriately. He says he sent them the invitations after obtaining their contact information from other students.
One of the girls spoke to reporters outside the school Monday afternoon, saying she is not a racist and is “incredibly sorry” and asked for people to forgive her.
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Battle said the students were “exceptionally remorseful”.
