Students at DC-area high school post image in blackface, use N-word

Two students that attend a Washington, D.C.-area high school posted pictures of themselves in blackface and used the N-word to describe the images over the weekend, their principal said.

The picture was posted on a private social media account but was both seen and shared by students, staff and parents, Robert W. Dodd, the principal of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., told parents and students in an email obtained by The Hill. 

{mosads}”I want to emphasize as strongly as possible that this type of behavior will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman High School. Students who were involved will receive significant consequences under the Montgomery County Public School’s Code of Conduct,” he said in the email. 

Dodd said he would be meeting with other officials to develop a plan to address racism and inequality. He added that students in the school’s Minority Scholars Program will present the difficulties faced by minority students.

“Acts of racism are unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman,” Dodd added. “I ask that all parents discuss with their child the critical importance of respecting others, the dangers related to posting on social media, and the far-reaching consequences for both the perpetrator and those targeted by damaging racial incidents.”

A school resource officer recorded the post as a bias-related incident but found that it was not criminal, said Montgomery County police spokesman Tom Jordan, according to The Washington Post.