Activists demanded action Tuesday over a video shared online that shows students in a classroom at Grand Prairie Dubiski Career High School chanting letters of a racial slur.
The students display the racial slur on Post-it notes in the video, with the word “hate” also included in their messages.
School leaders said the people involved will be held accountable.
Dubiski Career High School was closed for spring break Tuesday, but activists who gathered there to complain said the video was recorded and posted Thursday before spring break.
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“It bothers me that the administration did not provide any disciplinary action to those students before they went on spring break,” said Grand Prairie NAACP President Angela Luckey, who provided the video to NBC 5.
Luckey said a substitute teacher who she said was in the classroom at the time the video was recorded should be fired.
“And the principal at this school should be held accountable because what the students are saying, this is an ongoing practice at this school,” Luckey said.
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A Dubiski student who spoke with NBC 5 with her mother present asked to have her name withheld and face concealed for fear of retribution. The student said the video and the word it included are hurtful.
“A lot of incidents like this have happened before,” the student said. “That’s why I feel these students feel comfortable doing this.”
Dubiski Career High School is a Grand Prairie ISD school of choice. Students must apply to be accepted there for what the district calls “21 Century Skills” instruction.
“That definitely was not those 21st century skills being assessed in that classroom. This is something that we are accustomed to going back, backward in history,” Luckey said.
Former Dallas NAACP President Arthur Fleming said he believes Texas state government political attacks on education about racism and so-called “Critical Race Theory” are a factor.
I can assure you that we will fully investigate this situation and hold those involved accountable.
Grand Prairie ISD spokesman
“We don't want our white kids to feel bad, but that means you don't hear about how Black kids feel and I think that's very inconsiderate,” Fleming said. “I’m hoping that cooler heads prevail and we do something about it.”
Grand Prairie ISD Spokesman Sam Buchmeyer issued the following statement.
“I can assure you that we will fully investigate this situation and hold those involved accountable. The District is on Spring Break this week, so we will have more information when school is back in session next week,” the statement said.
In a Facebook post, Grand Prairie ISD Trustee Amber Moffitt called the video totally unacceptable.
“I am adamant about each individual involved being held accountable for their actions,” Moffitt’s post said.
Grand Prairie ISD Trustee David Espinosa said on Facebook that he does not condone the behavior.
“The issue is being addressed with our Superintendent,” Espinosa’s post said.
Malcom Chakery, who posted on his Grand Prairie Texas Talk blog about the issue, said parents have not received enough information directly from the school district.
“They still have yet to send a release to the parents. The parents have not been notified unless they saw it on the news,” Chakery said.
