Several staff members at a South Carolina elementary school have been fired after photos emerged this week showing staff dressed as Border Patrol agents and wearing stereotypical Mexican costumes at a school event, authorities said.
Staff at Royal Elementary School in Florence donned the offensive costumes for an “Olympic Parade” event on Wednesday, a professional training day before students’ first day of class.
Photos from the event posted on the school’s Facebook page showed two officers wearing sunglasses and gray shirts with “U.S. Border Patrol” emblazoned on them, posing in front of a homemade brick wall display.
In another photo, several staff members are seen wearing brightly colored sombreros in front of a sign that reads “Royall “Cantina,” Spanish for “bar.”
Dozens of parents and local residents took to social media to condemn the images, calling them racist and unacceptable. WCIV reported.
“There were so many other ways to represent Mexico in the ‘Olympic Parade’. The Border Patrol actually has nothing to do with ‘Back to School’ or the ‘Olympics’. In case you didn’t know! ‘Cantina’ is also an inappropriate representation of Mexican culture,” posted the mother of a Royal High School student, who asked to remain anonymous.
According to WCIV, the mother’s post quickly went viral, sparking a flood of criticism from across the country, with people calling the teachers’ actions “insensitive.”
Annette Fling, a Mexican American mother with children in the neighborhood, called the move a “disgrace.”
“As a Mexican American, a Hispanic woman and a mother of mixed race Hispanic children in Florence School District 1, I am deeply outraged,” Fling told the outlet.
“They are educators with degrees and should have known better. Of all the things they could have done to Mexican culture, community and country, they chose to use the U.S. Border Patrol,” she continued. “And Royal Cantina means bar in Spanish. It’s inappropriate, it’s racist, and overall it’s a total disgrace.”
School district Superintendent Richard O’Malley has contacted parents and said several staff members have been fired over the controversy.
“Due to the seriousness of this incident, I would like to inform you that several employees have been terminated by the district and/or placed on administrative leave by district administrators. As superintendent, I have zero tolerance for this type of behavior within the district,” O’Malley said in an email Friday. Obtained by The Post and Courier.
It is unclear which of the employees pictured have been fired.
The school also apologized, saying the post showed a “callous disregard for the current challenges facing our Hispanic population.”
The Post has reached out to school and district officials for comment.
The Racial Justice Network released a statement charging that the district has a “habitual history of discrimination” and accused teachers of promoting a “Trump agenda.” WPDE reported:.
“A lot of work, time, effort and thought went into this exhibit, with no consideration for students, how some students might feel or what message they might be sending to others,” the group said.
“We want to know what the motive behind this incident was and what the school hoped to gain from it. The only thing the school would gain from it would be to further the agenda of former President Trump. Schools are not a place for racism or politics,” they said.
