'Racially Offensive' Post Leads to Action: Oakland Mills HS Principal

COLUMBIA, MD — A racist post on social media has led school officials to take action, Oakland Mills High School Principal Katherine Orland said in a note to families Wednesday.

The post appeared to involve a photo of a white male student with a racist, violent statement.

"This kind of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated," Orlando said.

The school system's policy on responsible use of social media would be enforced, the principal reported.

The policy stipulates that students may not use profanity, weapons, terrorism or violence in their posts.

The derogatory image was one of a handful that Howard County public school students have allegedly made in recent weeks.

An Atholton High School student shared a selfie with her white face painted black plus text containing a racial slur earlier this month, and at River Hill High School, another student shared a photo of a white girl holding a gun, accompanied by threatening racist language.

This week Afro published a commentary entitled "Racism in Howard County Schools" calling for penalties against students who express language that "can hurt more than a gunshot or knife wound" because it "permeates the subconscious..."

Local officials including the school system superintendent, county council and county executive have spoken out against the students' offensive posts and encouraged inclusion.

Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman is hosting a series of community conversations as part of a campaign he has labeled "#OneHoward, to promote dialogue and inclusivity.

“In the past several weeks, I have learned of instances of bigotry, racism and intolerance and this isn’t who we are in Howard County,” Kittleman said in a statement earlier this month. “I’ve heard of students who are afraid to go to school and of residents who feel we aren’t living in a civil society. We are better than this.”

#OneHoward will include representatives from police, schools, religious groups, minority communities and county and state government, who will deliver brief remarks before residents contribute to the conversation.

The first conversation is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Bain 50+ Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia.

Letter from Principal Katherine Orlando on Wednesday, Nov. 30:

Dear Oakland Mills High School Community,

I want to make you aware of an incident, which was brought to our attention this afternoon, November 30, 2016. A racially offensive and hurtful post was made on social media. I am in contact with parents and appropriate action is being taken. This kind of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. I am committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all students at Oakland Mills High School. All students are expected to comply with Howard County Public School System Policy 8080 Responsible Use of Technology and Social Media. I appreciate your support as I work through this situation.

Regards,

Katherine Orlando

See Also:

• Racist Pictures from Howard County Students Prompt Police Investigation, Conversation
• Post-It Note Kindness Catching On in Columbia

Oakland Mills Threat Was a 'Joke,' Suspect Told School Officials

Photo by Wallstreethotrod via Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.