Pearce and Richardson high schools faced off Thursday night in a rivalry football game, but the schools' bands played the national anthem together in a sign of unity after a week when rivalry crossed the line.
"Rivalries have bounds," said Richardson Independent School District spokesman Chris Moore. "It's appalling."
Moore was talking about posts made to social media this week that were racist and tasteless in nature. Once of them depicted a KKK cross burning, with a Pearce logo depicted over the KKK and a Richardson logo over the cross.
"It's something that's not reflective at all of Richardson ISD, of Pearce High School, or of Pearce students," Moore said.
The school district traced the Snapchat posts to two Pearce High School students.
"Isn't there something else they could have done to show their rivalry than images of things that hurt communities the way they did?" asked Pearce High School parent Monica Atterberry. "Think before you act."
For parents on both sides, it was a teachable moment.
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"A lot of people think you can only tolerate things that seem to agree with you and you're intolerant of those that don't," said Richardson High School parent Michael Frederick. "But tolerant is being tolerant."
The Richardson Police Department was involved in the investigation, but said the posts did not rise to the level of a crime. Richardson ISD said both students will be disciplined with either suspensions or by being moved to an alternative school for up to 45 days.
