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Elementary school employees in South Carolina have been fired after they turned up wearing Border Patrol t-shirts to a staff event with a “cantina” theme.
In photos posted to the Facebook page of Royall Elementary School in Florence, staffers posed in uniform-like t-shirts and sunglasses in front of a fake border wall that appeared to have been constructed for the event. Other employees were pictured wearing brightly-colored sombreros.
The photos were posted on July 31 but quickly taken down. The school issued an apology on August 1 saying the images showed an "insensitive disregard for the current challenges our Hispanic population faces."
"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," the post said.
"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."
The incident resulted in the firing of at least two employees, according to a letter from the school’s superintendent to parents.
Florence One Schools Superintendent Richard O'Malley wrote to parents saying that "several employees are no longer employed by the district or have been placed on leave" over the incident.
“As superintendent, I will not tolerate anything of this nature in our school district,” he wrote.
According to O'Malley, the "inappropriate event" took place on professional development day, the day before the first day of school.
"I want to assure the Royall Community that the school will continue to provide an exceptional education for all students, with the high expectations and excellence in student achievement that have always been provided by our staff at Royall," he added.
The superintendent put two "acting administrators" in charge of the school following the incident. The Independent has sought further information from Florence One Schools.
Annette Fling, whose children attend Royall Elementary, told WMBF she found the photos inappropriate.
“I was pretty furious. I was upset, offended. It’s disheartening. It’s sad because you feel like we’re all equal, you try to live like that and something like this is thrown in your face. It’s almost like you’re a joke," she said.
Florence's Democratic Party Chairman Isaac Wilson condemned the image, posting a comment below the photos on Facebook, which have since been taken down.
“I am appalled by the images shared by educated professionals, but I am more disappointed that someone thought that this tasteless display was representative of Mexican culture,” Wilson said. “In a time where we should be bringing communities together to solve issues that chronically challenge us, like racism and bigotry, this type of tone-deaf behavior cannot be tolerated.”
James Johnson III, CEO and founder of the Racial Justice Network, issued a statement saying that the “only thing” the school would gain from sharing the photos would be “to push Former President Trump’s agenda.”
“A picture was posted in which staff were wearing shirts that read, ‘US. Border Patrol’, were wearing sombreros, and had a hand made ‘brick wall’ behind them. There was a lot of work, time, effort, and thought put into this display,” Johnson wrote. “There was no regard for the students and how some would feel and what message they were sending to others.”
