High school students sharing blackface photo on social media sparks backlash: 'The ignorance ... disgusting'

Police are investigating an incident involving two students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, who shared a photo of themselves in blackface on social media, accompanied by a racial slur.

The students in question, who are not identified by their gender, race or grade to protect their privacy, allegedly used the "N-word" on a "private social media account which was viewed by "many" in the school community, Bethesda Magazine reports.

Shockingly, this is not the school's first brush with a racially-charged controversy. The school, with 67 percent white students and less than five percent black, as per the school system’s data, made headlines in 2017 when two students called a black peer a racial slur. More recently, a Black History Month assembly was mocked online by students.

In a message sent to families on Monday afternoon, which was obtained by FOX 5 DC, principal Robert Dood stated that school administrators notified the Montgomery County Police Department of the incident.

"I want to emphasize as strongly as possible that this type of behavior will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman High School," Dodd said. "Students who were involved will receive significant consequences under the Montgomery County Public School’s Code of Conduct."

"Our efforts to build students’ cultural proficiency at Walt Whitman High School are critical and ongoing," Dodd continued. "Unfortunately, this most recent incident is another indication that this work needs to be intensified so that all of our students feel safe and valued each day."

Dodd has a scheduled meeting on Tuesday with top school system officials to discuss racial intolerance, review data and to "ultimately develop a plan that will directly address racism, organizational inequities and cultural proficiency."

"Every student deserves to feel like Walt Whitman is their school. Racist incidents have a profoundly negative impact on how our students of color and their families perceive the safety, education, and support our school has to offer," the letter finished. "Again, I want to reiterate that acts of racism are unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman. I ask that all parents discuss with their child the critical importance of respecting others, the dangers related to posting on social media, and the far-reaching consequences for both the perpetrator and those targeted by damaging racial incidents."

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