USD 257’s school board members released a statement Monday evening about an Aug. 17 incident when four Iola High School students painted symbols known to be white supremacist code words on the high school parking lot.
The statement condemned hate speech and symbolism, called the incident a learning opportunity, and promised increased expectations and supervision of the privilege for students to paint their individual parking stalls.
The board met in executive session for 30 minutes Monday to discuss a private student matter before releasing the statement. No other action or discussion took place.
High school seniors pay $25 for the privilege of personalizing their parking stalls. The fee goes to support the student council. Typically, students use the occasion to highlight their activities. In this instance, four students joined forces to paint “TRUMP 2020” across four connecting stalls, and included a variety of symbols and abbreviations that included “WP” and “STK.” Those abbreviations are known to stand for White Power and Shoot to Kill, although some claimed it meant “Save the Kids,” which can also be tied to a theory about pedophilia rings touted by the far-right conspiracy group QAnon.
The entire sign was painted over the next day.
Any discipline against the students is a private matter.
Dan Willis, board president, read the following statement:
“The Board of Education of 257 believes in our vision statement. We must not miss this opportunity to be an impactful force in a student’s life, empowering all to be productive citizens. We expect our students and faculty to model the behavior of this statement.
“It was a serious disappointment to learn of the actions that took place while painting the senior parking lot stalls. We do not condone hate speech or symbolism. We will support our students and their right to free speech. But it is a contentious line to walk.
“While student matters are protected under confidentiality, the discipline process is trying to link why these actions are hurtful and how it wounded our community. We must seize this opportunity to shape the life for our students and community in an educational environment that is welcoming, safe and inclusive. We must chart a path that heals.
“We accept that this occurred on our watch and accept it is our duty to address it and use this as a learning opportunity. There is also the clear expectation set and supervision in place to monitor the senior painting of the parking lot stalls should it continue.
“For the faculty in our district who have expressed that they feel they have let these students down along their educational journey, we ask that you embrace this moment in the classroom to improve our district culture to include all students. All students must feel respected and valued.
Sincerely,
the USD 257 Board of Education”
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