Officials with Escondido High School have addressed a photo that appears to depict students spelling out a racial slur with lettered t-shirts.
A statement released by the school on Thursday said 10 students "made a poor decision to participate in an activity that is not aligned with Escondido High School's culture."
Principal Dr. Adriana Lepe-Ramirez continued in the statement that actions that send messages of "racism and promote divisiveness will not be tolerated," but did not elaborate on the actions allegedly committed by the students.
The Escondido Police Department, in conjunction with the Escondido School District, is reviewing the incident, school officials said.
The school said parents of the students involved were being contacted an disciplinary actions would be taken, though it was not clear what type of disciplinary measures would be implemented.
Read Escondido High School’s full statement below:
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Today, during a senior event on the Escondido High School campus, approximately 10 students made a poor decision to participate in an activity that is not aligned with Escondido High School's culture, values or history. Principal Dr. Adriana Lepe-Ramirez expressed her deep sadness with this occurrence and stated, "We are a campus that prides itself on inclusion and embraces diversity. We will not tolerate actions that send messages of racism and promote divisiveness. We will work with students, as well as staff, to ensure a respectful and safe environment is maintained throughout our campus. We all need to understand the power of our words and actions, and we must take responsibility for the decisions we make each and every day. At Escondido High School we will continue to work every day to build a culture of family and unity across our community."
Escondido High School, along with the district office, has been working alongside the Escondido Police Department and others to conduct a thorough review of this incident. Parents and guardians of the students involved are being contacted by school administrators, and appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken. Teachers, administrators and community members are committed to continuing their efforts to teach and guide students toward making wise, informed choices.
