Several teachers at a South Carolina elementary school have been fired for dressing up as Border Patrol agents to represent Mexico as part of an ‘Olympic parade’ event at the school.
Royall Elementary School in Florence faced backlash for staffers dressing up in the ‘offensive’ garb as part of celebrations for the first week of school.
Images from the professional development event show two staff members sporting T-shirts that read ‘U.S. Border Patrol’ and posing in front of a fake brick wall.
A letter to parents from schools Superintendent Dr. Richard O’Malley said multiple teachers had been fired, WMBF reported.
‘Due to the serious nature of this incident, several employees are no longer employed by the district or have been placed on leave by the district’s administration,’ O’Malley wrote.
Staffers at Royall Elementary School in Florence dressed up as Border Patrol agents to represent Mexico as part of an ‘Olympic parade’ event prior to the first day of school
‘As superintendent, I will not tolerate anything of this nature in our school district.’
O’Malley said the school will have two ‘acting administrators’ until further notice.
During the event – which was held prior to the first day of school – other staffers were seen wearing sombreros and posing in front of a sign that read ‘Royall Cantina,’ which is the Spanish word for a bar.
A Mexican American parent who saw the display was among the first to sound the alarm over the ‘disheartening’ presentation.
Her post online alerted other parents who were left in disbelief after spotting the images on the school’s official Facebook page.
‘As a Mexican American, as an Hispanic woman, as a mother of biracial Hispanic children in the Florence 1 School district. I’m highly offended, highly offended,’ mom Annette Fling told ABC4 News.
‘These are educators with degrees that should have known better. Out of all the things they could have done to the culture, community, country of Mexico, they chose to use the US Border Patrol.
‘And Royal Cantina, which is a Spanish word for bar. Inappropriate, racial. Just all around flat out a disgrace.’
Other staffers were seen wearing sombreros and posing in front of a sign that read ‘Royall Cantina,’ which is the Spanish word for a bar
Royall has around 40 Hispanic and Latino students out of 462, according to US News demographic data
Royall has around 40 Hispanic and Latino students out of 462, according to US News demographic data.
The school is composed entirely of economically disadvantaged and is ranked 124th out of around 600 South Carolina elementary schools.
‘It is with regret that we acknowledge that a picture that was posted on our Facebook page yesterday showed an insensitive disregard for the current challenges our Hispanic population faces,’ the school said in a statement.
‘At Royall, we take great pride in our long-standing tradition of embracing and supporting every student who walks through the doors of our building.
‘Our staff is unanimously committed to celebrating the diversity of our families and ensuring that each and every student at Royall is successful, happy, and recognized for his or her unique culture and abilities.
‘We apologize for our insensitivity but look forward to fostering relationships as we begin a new school year.’
