Oakwood Schools discover ‘racial slurs,’ ‘threatening language’ in students’ social media posts

OAKWOOD — The Oakwood School District is taking action after discovering that some of their students created social media posts with racial slurs and threatening language.

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Oakwood Schools administrators were alerted to some of their students publishing social media content that used racial slurs and threatening language throughout, a spokesperson for the district wrote on their website. As a consequence, school officials “continued” to take action to prevent the proliferation of the behavior.

“This incident is evidence Oakwood Schools and the Oakwood community are not immune to the issues currently plaguing our society,” the spokesperson said. “As educators and families, we must partner to help our students understand the impact their language and actions have on others and help them develop empathy and acceptance of others so they are prepared to be contributing members of society.”

“We encourage you to talk with your students about the damaging effects of racial slurs and hate speech,” the spokesperson continued. “We have provided some references that may help you start these critical conversations.”

• Talking to Kids About Racism by On Our Sleeves, The Movement for Children’s Mental Health
• Resources for Parents by American Psychological Association
• Talking to Kids About Race and Racism by KidsHealth
• Talking to Kids About Racism by UNICEF

Although the district “continued to work together to strengthen” the school community, they were unable to disclose the exact nature of the social media posts, the students involved, or the disciplinary actions taken to rectify the issue.

“While the District is prevented from sharing information regarding any type of student discipline, be assured there are serious consequences for students engaging in this behavior,” the spokesperson informed. “Oakwood Schools does not condone or permit racism, intolerance or discrimination in any form. We will respond to any expressions of racist or bigoted language with the appropriate and necessary actions to correct them.”

The district, however, stated that they met with students directly involved, and their families.

A class meeting was also held Friday to inform and reiterate to students of the district’s “intolerance for racist language,” the spokesperson claimed.

“Each day, our goal is to ensure all our students feel safe, valued, seen and heard. We will continue to work toward that goal,” the spokesperson said.

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