MANSFIELD (WBAP/KLIF)- Mansfield ISD officials say a Lake Ridge High School student will soon face consequences after posting a black face video on social media. The video shows the student wearing black face paint and using a racial slur. Associate Superintendent Donald Williams says this behavior will not be tolerated and does not reflect who the district is. Since the video was posted off campus, Williams said the student’s punishment will be according to the student code of conduct. Mansfield ISD worked with twitter to get the video removed Thursday.
Lake Ridge High School Principal Brandon Johnson sent a letter to parents:
Dear Eagle Parents and Guardians,
District and campus officials were made aware this morning of an inappropriate video posted publicly on Twitter by a Lake Ridge High School student. The video included a student in blackface and a racial slur. There is no acceptable excuse or explanation for behaviors or speech that promote racism. These behaviors do not reflect who we are or aspire to be at Lake Ridge and will not be tolerated.
Officials have notified Twitter and are working to have the video taken down. Engaging with the post, even to actively speak out against it, will circulate and promote it even more on social media.
The incident, which did not occur on campus, will be handled according to the district’s Student Code of Conduct. As a district and community, we cannot and will not, tolerate this kind of behavior and conduct. It’s a tough social media world out there for our kids, but as Eagles, we are better than this. We must value and respect everyone and avoid any actions that promote racism or hate speech.
All students received an open invitation to speak with additional counselors who were on campus this afternoon. We understand this is not the end of the conversation on race, but just the beginning of one. And it is a conversation that we hope will extend past our campus, to dinner tables, after-school clubs, churches, and our community at large.
It takes the entire community working together to raise good citizens who value differences and promote kindness toward others.
Thank you for your continued support of Lake Ridge High School,
Brandon Johnson
Lake Ridge High School
Principal
Mansfield Independent School District Official Statement:
District and campus officials were made aware of an inappropriate video posted publicly on Twitter by a Lake Ridge High School student. The video included a student in blackface and a racial slur. There is no acceptable excuse or explanation for behaviors or speech that promote racism. These behaviors do not reflect who we are or aspire to be in MISD and will not be tolerated.
Officials have notified Twitter and are working to have the video taken down. We cannot discuss the specifics of any individual student disciplinary actions. This incident, which did not occur on campus, will be handled according to the MISD Student Code of Conduct.
