An Ohio mother has filed a hate crime report to the FBI after a video showed students threatening their Black peers and using racial slurs, Atlanta Black Star reports.
In one video, a parent said a student at Kenston Local Schools in Bainbridge, Ohio said “F*** n*****.” Another student also used hate speech in a second video, according to the parent.
“He basically said, “I hate Ns,’ ‘I want all Ns to die,’ ‘I want to wipe them off the face of the planet,’” parent Samera Hollimon said. “He said, ‘You all can agree with me.’”
Hollimon filed the hate crime report with the FBI and a report with the local police department.
“When I saw the video, I was really outdone. I was hurt,” Hollimon said. “With all the mass shootings that’s going on, what if this kid comes and actually brings a gun and shoots all of the Black students?”
Parents spoke out about the incident to school board members at a recent district meeting.
“We absolutely have no faith in your ability to protect our Black sons and daughters that attend Kenston Local Schools,” one Black community member said at the meeting.
Kenston Schools Superintendent Steve Sayer said in response to the incident: “We as a district, as you’ve heard, are very much aware of this incident, and it’s very disturbing, and we are very, very concerned about it. It’s clear that we have some work to do as a district, and as I said, we’re not only aware of this, but administratively, we are working on it.”
Kenston officials said an investigation into the incident remains “ongoing.” The district pledged to form a plan to address threats to student safety and inclusivity.
“It is clear there is room for improvement, and collectively our administrators will be meeting, as this will be a top priority for the upcoming year. Ultimately, we will need the help of students, staff, parents, and the community to fully address this issue. We will find a way through this together for the good of our community and the good of our students,” Amy Sparks, director of communications at Kenston Local Schools, said in a statement.
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