High school students responsible for racist video no longer enrolled at school

By Celina Tebor, CNN

The students responsible for a racist video — which surfaced on social media earlier this month showing one girl spray painting another girl’s face black while making racist comments — are no longer enrolled at the high school, according to a statement from the school.

“The young women who (sic) responsible for this situation have been identified and they are no longer members of this school community,” Saint Hubert Catholic High School For Girls wrote in a statement published Saturday. The decision was made following an investigation into the incident, according to the statement.

In the video, a girl is seen spray painting the face of another girl black as she says, “You’re a Black girl! You know your roots! It’s February! You’re nothing but a slave … and after this, she’s doing my laundry.” People in the video can be heard laughing as this occurs. One person is seen filming the incident on her phone. The girl who had her face painted black says, “I’m Black and I’m proud.”

A Black parent whose daughter attends the Catholic school in Philadelphia told CNN the video was sent directly to his daughter and niece, along with other Black students.

When asked about whether the video was initially sent to Black students at the school, Kenneth Gavin, chief communications officer for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, told CNN, “At this time it is unknown as to the exact distribution. My understanding is that it was posted and shared on social media.”

The video was taken outside of school and after school hours, a statement provided to CNN by the archdiocese said.

The school denounced the behavior in the video as “repugnant,” writing that the Anti-Defamation League would offer anti-bias workshops at the school on February 20.

Faculty and students returned to Saint Hubert Catholic High School on Monday, the school wrote in its statement, adding there would be a “visible and active police presence around the campus perimeter.”

The school wrote it would be addressing all students to outline its plan for “safety and healing moving forward.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Sharif Paget and Caroll Alvarado contributed to this report.