Issaquah HS Students Circulate Photo With Racist Message

ISSAQUAH, WA - Students in Issaquah were circulating a photo with a racist message on social media over the weekend, according to Issaquah School District officials. The photo showed a student asking another student to the school's TOLO dance with a poster that contains a racial stereotype.

Issaquah High School Principal Andrea McCormick wrote a message to the school community on Monday, saying it was "truly disheartening" that Issaquah students would make such a choice.

"This situation does highlight that as a school, district and community we still have a lot of work to do. We want to use this negative experience to grow," McCormick wrote.

The picture shows two white students standing together dressed like football referees.

"If I was black, I'd be picking cotton. But instead I pick you. TOLO?" a sign they are holding reads.

The TOLO dance is an annual event where couples or groups attend in costume. Students often come up with elaborate ways to ask each other to the dance. The TOLO dance took place on March 30.

The incident even attracted the attention of Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin.

"I am saddened that this idea was thought of and executed without intervention. Racism is not just taught, it is encouraged through its tolerance. Let’s take this as a reminder not only to be more empathetic but to hold each other more accountable," he wrote on Twitter.

The Issaquah School Board also issued a statement Monday morning condemning the post:

Over the weekend it was brought to the Issaquah School Board’s attention that there was a racially-insensitive post circulating on social media that involved students at Issaquah High School. The Board wants to publicly express our disappointment and to affirm that every student in our district deserves to attend a school environment free from racism.

While we have worked tirelessly over the past two years to adopt a racial equity policy that includes fostering cultural competency in our students, we know that this will require sustained focus and commitment. This unfortunate incident will provide an opportunity to deepen our conversation on both creating an educational experience free from racism and appropriate use of social media. We know that our District leadership is equally committed to the academic and social-emotional well-being of each and every student in our District.

In 2014, Issaquah high schoolers posted racist tweets about Garfield High School, which is a a majority-minority school in Seattle's Central District. The two schools were in the midst of a basketball rivalry at the time. Students from the two schools pledged to work together to fight racism after that incident.