A group of high school students have been subject to 'severe disciplinary action' after one of them was filmed dressed up as a member of the Klu Klux Klan.
The video first appeared on Twitter last week, however it has since been deleted.
School officials from the private Grace Christian Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee, have heavily condemned the actions of the students.
In the video, obtained by WBIR, a student is shown being led to a chair, dressed in a makeshift white hood – reminiscent of the white outfits worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – holding a black pole in one hand and jug in the other.
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The chair has 'Grace' written on the back of it.
Someone off-camera can be heard asking the dressed up student: "Who do we hate?"
Then, the n-word can be heard and laughter offscreen.
In a statement posted to the school's Facebook page, head of the school, Tony Pointer addressed the 'GCA family' to explain that as soon as the school was made aware of the 'extremely inappropriate and deeply disappointing video', 'swift action' was taken and a meeting organised with all students involved.
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"Severe disciplinary action has been issued as GCA does not condone this behavior or any form of racism. We will continue to seek truth and enact appropriate discipline," he said.
The head stressed that the video was 'in no way consistent with the mission and core values of GCA'.
"We are doing everything possible to ensure the physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being of all our students and staff. Teachers and trained professionals will be available to speak with GCA students or families tomorrow, if desired. We covet your prayers and appreciate your partnership in ministry," he concluded.
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Retired teacher Gloria Johnson called the video 'distressing'.
Taking to Twitter she wrote: "The fact that they were so bold and not even a bit embarrassed about this is just shocking. That they felt comfortable sharing it, means that they thought everyone else would think it was funny also. Who taught them this?"
However, in a later tweet she commended the school's response to the video.
"Glad to see the good folks at Grace taking this extremely seriously, much appreciated," Johnson stated.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also released a statement in response to the video and the school's dealing with the incident, saying it 'welcome[d] the swift disciplinary action taken by the school'.
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Director Ibrahim Hooper said: "[We] hope that action will include teaching all students about the negative impact of systemic anti-Black racism and white supremacy."
UNILAD has contacted the Grace Christian Academy for comment.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org
