School responds after a racist meme was shared among students
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WEBSTER GROVES, MO (KMOV) — Hixson Middle School in Webster Groves said a student directly sent a racist meme to two classmates that impacted others in “very deep and profoundly hurtful ways.”
The Webster Groves School District said in a message on Facebook that staff members will be available for support for those affected by the image. The image has script saying “Go be a n***** somewhere else.”
The student’s parents, Shaun Swearengen and Yolanda Morris, said their 14-year-old told them about what happened during lunch when she got home from school Thursday.
“I’ve been crying on and off all day, all night, it was very… every time I see the picture I just immediately start crying because I just can’t believe someone would think that at was okay to send to my child… to anyone,” said Morris.
Morris said she immediately emailed the principal and superintendent about the situation. Morris and Swearengen met with the Hixson Middle School principal and vice principal Friday morning.
“They couldn’t hold the tears back. They were very apologetic. I really feel like they understood kinda what she was going through,” said Swearengen.
They feel this issue needs to be dealt with on a district level.
The Webster Groves School District declined News4’s request for an interview and said the district’s statement is what has been posted to its Facebook page.
“Upon learning of what had reportedly happened, the school’s administrators responded immediately,” the school’s statement read. “You can be assured that this kind of behavior has no place in our schools and will not be tolerated. We place great value on empathy and respect in our learning environment and have district policies in place that set high expectations for students.”
Morris and Swearengen feel the student who sent the meme should be suspended at the very least to set an example that this behavior is not tolerated. The district says it cannot comment on student discipline because it goes against privacy laws.
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