Fernandina Beach, Fla. – A group of parents at a Florida high school gathered on Wednesday night to discuss a racist video created by students that went viral on social media.
In the video, two white students from Yulee High School can be seen laughing and using racial slurs while one of them wears a white hood.
According to Nassau County School District assistant superintendent Mark Durham, a student at the school sent the video to a group of Black students who then confronted the kids in the video.
The confrontation led to a physical altercation which led to the student who shared the video and the students who confronted the kids in the video being reprimanded by the school.
Parents are upset with the school administrators for handling the situation unfairly after the students who confronted the filmmakers were suspended for five days. Meanwhile, nothing happened to the students who appeared in the video, the school district confirmed.
Melissa Ricks, whose son was sent the video and was one of the students suspended, said she believed the school has an underlying issue of racism.
“This is an issue of outward racism in our school that’s not being brought awareness to. All we need is an administration that cares about the issues and is willing to publicly bring awareness to our students and our community, that they are actively looking for ways and resolutions to bring in the parents, bring in the students, and figure out a way to bring these kids together and stop allowing the separation,” Ricks told News4Jax.
Durham released a statement on Oct. 22 saying the district and high school “want to make it clear that acts of discrimination based on race will not be tolerated on our campuses or toward our students. Individuals committing such acts will be subject to disciplinary consequences. We recognize that many students were negatively affected by the content of this video and the school is prepared to support their needs.”
He also claimed that the video was filmed over the summer and not on school property.
