GREEN, Ohio — Green Local Schools parents are outraged after a photo the district leaders are calling a "discriminatory image" was posted by students on Snapchat and then began circulating on other social media platforms.
The photo shows two students with what appears to be a homecoming proposal that reads, "If we were Black we'd be picking cotton; but unfortunately we're white so we're picking you for HOCO."
"I was not shocked," a Green parent who didn't want to be identified out of fear of retaliation told 3News.
The parent says the photo represents a more significant problem across the school district, with incidents like this becoming a reoccurrence.
"I would say three to four times a week, my kids come home expressing that somebody has either said something like the n-word or they've said (something like calling them) 'brown skin' or 'brown girl,'" she explained, also claiming that her youngest child has been told, "You can't sit here because of your skin color."
While the school district said it could not "comment on the discipline" of the students involved in the post, a spokesperson said, "The students' behavior involved with the post contradicts the values we uphold at Green High School and will not be tolerated." A number of parents have independently told WKYC the pair were suspended for five days, but some want more to be done.
"There needs to be ... (a) zero-tolerance policy," the anonymous parent stated. "You mean to tell me that these children can openly offend a whole community and a whole culture and just get suspended for five days, but if a student is bullying on the internet or get(s) into a physical fight or something like that, they can get expelled? I don't see the difference."
Green Local Schools did confirm that high school counselors and administration are available to students who may want to discuss their feelings about the post. When asked if sensitivity training is available at the school, the spokesperson said:
"The district, specifically Green High School, continues to support all students. All In is a student-led diversity group at Green High School that utilizes peer leadership.
"At the beginning of this school year, the high school administration went to each classroom for candid conversations about what an 'inclusive culture' means and how to achieve it—each classroom, not large groups of students. Part of the conversations also included consequences."