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The Sarasota County School District has begun to address the community after a Riverview High School student’s racist prom proposal over the weekend went viral, including reaching out to the Sarasota chapter of the NAACP.
High school senior Noah Crowley, 18, sent out the "promposal" on Sunday over Snapchat. It shows a picture of himself holding a sign that states: "If I was black I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m picking U 4 prom."
Officials with the school district responded to the social media post on Monday, saying it was "racist in nature."
"Neither the school district nor Riverview High School condones or supports the message conveyed in the post," according to a statement. "This incident remains an on-going investigation and any disciplinary action and recommendation will be made accordingly."
In the statement, officials said connecting community leaders with the student body to discuss race relations was a priority. It also read that it hoped to bring education about the contemporary issues of race to the county school system at large.
"Although this message is one student’s opinion, we take the matter of racial relations and school safety seriously, and we look forward to working with our students and these outside groups to have a meaningful and informative dialogue and expanded curriculum related to this important national topic," according to the statement.
Officials have reached out to the NAACP, said Trevor Harvey, president of the organization’s Sarasota chapter. He said the district has begun taking the first steps in creating a dialogue that could lead to educational conversations about contemporary race relations. But there is a long way to go.
"It’s only been 24 hours since we learned of this incident," Harvey said. "There are a lot of moving parts to really facilitate a meaningful discussion."
While no specific dates have been set, Harvey said the NAACP plans to participate in student-led discussion about race and social inequalities.
"So far, the school district has been dispatching counselors to speak with students and making the community aware of what they are doing. They are reaching out to community leaders and professionals to facilitate this conversation," Harvey said.
"But I don’t want the main point to be lost: The district (must) make the student body aware that they will not accept this kind of behavior. We can have all the conversations we want, but if there is no action, then we are not really doing anything productive."
Critics have taken to social media, saying the school district’s response has been weak. Students such as Erin Williams, who posted to Facebook, have said racism has been a consistent problem at the school and there needs to be some tough discussions to rectify the situation.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/educat...der-fire-over-his-racist-promposal-_167623809
High school senior Noah Crowley, 18, sent out the "promposal" on Sunday over Snapchat. It shows a picture of himself holding a sign that states: "If I was black I’d be picking cotton, but I’m white so I’m picking U 4 prom."
Officials with the school district responded to the social media post on Monday, saying it was "racist in nature."
"Neither the school district nor Riverview High School condones or supports the message conveyed in the post," according to a statement. "This incident remains an on-going investigation and any disciplinary action and recommendation will be made accordingly."
In the statement, officials said connecting community leaders with the student body to discuss race relations was a priority. It also read that it hoped to bring education about the contemporary issues of race to the county school system at large.
"Although this message is one student’s opinion, we take the matter of racial relations and school safety seriously, and we look forward to working with our students and these outside groups to have a meaningful and informative dialogue and expanded curriculum related to this important national topic," according to the statement.
Officials have reached out to the NAACP, said Trevor Harvey, president of the organization’s Sarasota chapter. He said the district has begun taking the first steps in creating a dialogue that could lead to educational conversations about contemporary race relations. But there is a long way to go.
"It’s only been 24 hours since we learned of this incident," Harvey said. "There are a lot of moving parts to really facilitate a meaningful discussion."
While no specific dates have been set, Harvey said the NAACP plans to participate in student-led discussion about race and social inequalities.
"So far, the school district has been dispatching counselors to speak with students and making the community aware of what they are doing. They are reaching out to community leaders and professionals to facilitate this conversation," Harvey said.
"But I don’t want the main point to be lost: The district (must) make the student body aware that they will not accept this kind of behavior. We can have all the conversations we want, but if there is no action, then we are not really doing anything productive."
Critics have taken to social media, saying the school district’s response has been weak. Students such as Erin Williams, who posted to Facebook, have said racism has been a consistent problem at the school and there needs to be some tough discussions to rectify the situation.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/educat...der-fire-over-his-racist-promposal-_167623809
