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The entire student body at Pickerington North took part in sensitivity training after a student posted a photo of himself dressed in a KKK robe and hood.
It was costume he found in the school's theater prop room that was used in a 2005 play.
High School senior Latavian Payton says he had a strong reaction when he learned about the photo shared through social media.
“I was so angry I cried. I'm not an emotional person it made me cry because how angry I was,” he said. “I was just confused and hurt.”
The school admits there's a problem among some students regarding racial sensitivity.
“We have students who are insensitive or who are unaware,” Principal Mark Ulbrich said.
Ulbrich says the prop room where the KKK costume was found is now off limits to students.
“My theater department is in the process of going through the prop room to make sure there isn't any other offensive material or clothing or anything else that would be insensitive,” he said.
This is not the first issue for the school. Last year, two students were seen at a football game with the words 'former slave owner' and 'former slave' painted on each of their backs.
Senior Omar Abdellitif said he went into the training unsure if it was necessary, but once he began to listen, he realized his school could be better if more students accepted one another.
“I personally think it's not a huge deal in our school and a simple solution is to be kind,” he said.
Kendall Lee and Demi Kandi work for a company called Significance, who specializes in sensitivity training, said they challenged the students to look within themselves for answers.
“[We asked them] to acknowledge diversity; to embrace it. What are my own biases? What are my own challenges? How did I contribute to this?” Kandi said.
As for Abdellitif and Payton, they say they've learned a lot about the word respect.
The school sent out this note to parents about the incident:
Dear Parent,
As a school district, Pickerington Schools must constantly examine our school environment to ensure that we provide a safe, inclusive, and welcoming culture that recognizes and celebrates diversity in all its forms. We will not tolerate actions that are not representative of such an environment.
Toward that goal, we are taking swift and firm action in dealing with recent situations at Pickerington High School North. Those actions did not reflect the cultural sensitivity that represents the values of the school or district.
On Thursday, the district also will bring in Significance, an outside firm that specializes in cultural sensitivity, to host two sessions on the topic for PHSN students. Significance will host the sessions in a town hall format with all students at the high school.
The high school administration also will be working with Significance to develop a long-range plan that addresses these issues and aligns with the district’s core values.
We already are familiar with the work of Significance. The district had contracted with the company in late 2015 for a series of professional development sessions for district staff. Those monthly sessions, which began in December, are scheduled to continue through the rest of the school year.
Sincerely,
Mark Ulbrich, PHSN Principal And Valerie Browning-Thompson, Superintendent