By: Landry Sena from: everythinglubbock.com
Officials with Lubbock-Cooper ISD said they are investigating a derogatory Instagram page that they believe may have been created by a middle school student.
The page picked out black students and called them by a racist term. The school board met Thursday night, and heard from outraged parents about the issue.
“As a parent, you don’t want your child on the internet out there like that. But also district policy states that after three business days, school must notify the victim and the bully’s parents have any type of bullying that happened,” said Tracy Kemp, whose child was one of nine students pictured on the page.
According to her, no parent has yet been notified of the page. She found out about it after her child came home and told her.
“We rallied together and found all of these parents and let them know that their children are on this page,” she added.
Superintendent of Lubbock-Cooper, Kieth Bryant, said the district is always notified of anything that uses the LCP logo, which this page did. He said the district took immediate action and reported the page, along with many other parents.
He said the school system takes this issue very seriously.
“The vileness of this inappropriate account was sickening to us. And we denounce it in every form or fashion we can,” he explained.
If or when the person responsible for creating the page is discovered, Bryant said serious measures will be taken.
“It can be an out-of-school suspension; it can be an in-school suspension; it can be an assignment to the DAEP, which is our Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs,” he explained.
The parents are hoping for better communication from the administration among other things.
“We’re not leaving. We’re not backing down. You’re not going to run us out. And we just want the same respect that you give the other students,” said Shardae McGaha, whose child was also pictured on the page.
“I want them to take every issue, whether it’s the Blacks, or the whites, or Latino kids, every issue, take it seriously, you know. Don’t pick and choose what you guys are doing,” said Anthony Yharbrough, whose child was also on the page.
Kemp said their children deserve to go to school and not have to worry about being harassed or bullied.