On Monday, ABC11 first reported about a snapchat post from a student at Apex Friendship High School.
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ORIGINAL STORY: APEX SCHOOL STEP TEAM SHOW MARRED BY RACIST SNAPCHAT POST
The post was a photo of the school's step team performing at pep rally on Friday. The caption with the photo read: "Plantation owner watches his former slaves rejoice and celebrate their new found freedom."
Dr. Rodney Trice is the Assistant Superintendent for Equity Affairs for the Wake County Public School System. On Tuesday before the school board met for its regularly scheduled work session, Trice told the media it's unfortunate that he has to keep responding to these types of incidents within the school system.
"It's unfair and it has to stop," said Dr. Trice.
He said the district has already been addressing what happened. First, the student who posted the photo and the caption has been disciplined. Dr. Trice said they also gathered a group of about 80 students on Monday to have an open discussion about race.
"We know that it's important to get their feedback and guidance on how this should best be addressed," said Dr. Trice. "We know that it will be students helping students move beyond issues of race and racism in school."
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He went on to say that there will be another conversation about racism Wednesday morning during home room and that a number of cross cultural activities are being planned.
"Our primary concern today is not with a district level response or a district level plan, we're concerned about the well-being of our students who are impacted and so they've done nothing wrong, but at the same time they have to carry with them the weight of race and racism in schools.
This is not the first race-related incident to happen in Wake County schools.
In March, the Apex chapter of the NAACP spoke out against two reported incidents. One was a video posted online that showed three Leesville Road Middle School students using explicit and racially charged language. The other was a video recorded at Wake Forest High School that showed one student pushing another after several alleged incidents of racial harassment.
In mid-March they requested a sit-down meeting with Superintendent Jim Merrill. According to the local NAACP chapter, that meeting has just been scheduled for Wednesday May 3 at noon.
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