Bob CollinsWhen the kids at Brainerd High School in central Minnesota voted in a mock election last November, Donald Trump crushed Hillary Clinton.
So the reaction this week to a comment in the high school yearbook shouldn’t be at all surprising.
“I would like to behead him, I do not like him,” the caption beneath the picture of a sophomore said. It was posted on Facebook.
Let’s go over the obvious questions:
- What were they thinking when they thought a page on what students thought about Donald Trump was yearbook-caliber content?
- What was the student thinking with the answer?
- What was the yearbook staff thinking when they pasted up the proof for the yearbook?
- What was the advisor thinking when it was approved for final printing?
- Why doesn’t a survey on who the students favorite teacher was doesn’t cut it anymore?
The school district issued a statement saying it’s investigating.
The Administration of Brainerd Public Schools has been notified that the 2016-2017 high school yearbook contains highly disrespectful statements from students about political figures, including the President of the United States. The Administration was previously unaware of the students’ statements in the yearbook.
The District does not support or otherwise endorse any disrespectful or politically based statements that are in the yearbook and apologizes for the statements that were included. While the District supports Free Speech, the disrespectful statements in the yearbook are contrary to the basic educational mission of the District and should not have been included in a school sponsored publication.
The Administration is currently investigating how this occurred and is reviewing the District’s processes to ensure that this type of unacceptable situation does not occur in the future.
The Administration deeply regrets that the existing processes for reviewing the yearbook did not result in the removal of the inappropriate statements.
(h/t: Cody Nelson)
