Some unsettling videos that circulated on social media showed school children in one Ohio town threatening Black people and using racial slurs, thoroughly alarming parents and community members.
According to WKYC, multiple students enrolled at Kenston Local Schools in Bainbridge, Ohio, filmed themselves using hate speech and demeaning language.
One shaken parent said one student said, “F*** [N-words],” in one video and recalled the hateful remarks from a different student in another video.
“He basically said, “I hate Ns,’ ‘I want all Ns to die,’ ‘I want to wipe them off the face of the planet,'” parent Samera Hollimon said of one student’s comments. “He said, ‘You all can agree with me.'”
Hollimon was so shaken by that specific video that she filed a report with the local police department and then turned to the FBI to file a second report for a hate crime.
“When I saw the video, I was really outdone. I was hurt,” Hollimon told the local outlet . “With all the mass shootings that’s going on, what if this kid comes and actually brings a gun and shoots all of the Black students?”
Another parent who had a similar reaction to the video as Hollimon’s called for that student’s expulsion.
“I was appalled,” parent Lastacia Mack stated. “I was very shocked. Just the audacity that he will call out Black folks in that way and to threaten their lives. I would like this kid to be expelled. I don’t think that he should be allowed to attend Kenston Schools for the safety of all of the students there.”
A rising eighth-grade student shared that she’s now fearful for herself and her family.
“When I was watching the videos, I just felt unsafe, and I was scared for myself, my family, and my community, and I just feel like people should be treated equally,” Aria Lemons said .
The videos triggered a massive community response. Many shaken parents aired their fears and frustrations to school board members at a recent district meeting.
“We absolutely have no faith in your ability to protect our Black sons and daughters that attend Kenston Local Schools,” one Black community member told board members.
Several parents echoed those sentiments and stated that these videos are proof of a long-standing “culture of racism” in Kenston Schools that has gone unchecked by district officials.
“We as a district, as you’ve heard, are very much aware of this incident, and it’s very disturbing, and we are very, very concerned about it,” Kenston Schools Superintendent Steve Sayer said at the meeting. “It’s clear that we have some work to do as a district, and as I said, we’re not only aware of this, but administratively, we are working on it.”
While Kenston officials haven’t released the ages and grades of the students in the videos, they stated that administrators will meet throughout the summer to form a plan to enforce in the next school year that will comprehensively address the issues threatening student safety and an inclusive school environment.
“It is clear there is room for improvement, and collectively our administrators will be meeting, as this will be a top priority for the upcoming year. Ultimately, we will need the help of students, staff, parents, and the community to fully address this issue. We will find a way through this together for the good of our community and the good of our students,” Amy Sparks, director of communications at Kenston Local Schools, said.
District officials haven’t said what disciplinary actions they will issue to the students in the videos due to their “ongoing investigation.” Bainbridge police have forwarded the case to a local prosecutor’s office for review.
The Kenston School District encompasses a few towns 20 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. More than 2,500 students are enrolled in its four schools. According to U.S. News & World Report, nearly 90 percent of the student body is white, and about 3 percent is Black.
‘I Want All N—ers to Die’: Disturbing Videos Reportedly Show Ohio Schoolchildren Threatening Black People, Hurling Racial Slurs; Outraged Mother Files Hate Crime Report with FBI
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