Racist Posts May Have Been Written By Students: School Leader

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Officials with Anne Arundel County Public Schools are investigating social media posts they believe may have been made by students referencing the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. The posts refer to Floyd using racist language, officials noted.

AACPS Superintendent George Arlotto describe the posts as "hate-filled, inappropriate and, in one case, racist."

"I want to be perfectly clear: Hate-filled and bigoted acts that demean, intimidate, belittle or castigate others have no place in our school system or our society. While our school buildings may be closed, our school system remains in operation and our code of student conduct remains in full effect. We will investigate, involving police where appropriate, any action – including bias-motivated behavior – that appears to violate that code and, if it has a connection to our schools or school system operations, impose disciplinary consequences to the greatest extent we are able," Arlotto said in a statement.

Arlotto said he denounced the "tragic, senseless and inexplicable" death of Floyd. He acknowledged that the "frustration and pain felt by so many is fully justified."

"However, we must channel those emotions toward the kindness, acceptance and inclusion we all desire to see in each other and which we as a school system seek to impart to our students every day. Only by doing that can we build our communities up and not tear them down," Arlotto said.

He urged the community and families to not allow "inappropriate, hate-filled online posts" to detract from the current celebrations recognizing seniors and the class of 2020.

"We are a strong school system and part of an even stronger community. We must, however, rely on one another as we learn to live together and celebrate all that is good and purposeful," he wrote.