Princeton Student Suspended After Racial Slur Appears In Yearbook

PRINCETON, NJ — A Princeton High School student wrote that she has been suspended after a racial slur appeared in a collage she submitted for this year’s yearbook. Jamaica Ponder submitted the collage, in which the N word is visible in the background. She said she didn’t realize it was in the background when she submitted the collage.

In the incident that lead to her suspension, Ponder accidentally included a photo depicting the use of the N word in the background of her collage. It is part of a piece of art that is in her house and made it into the background of the collage.

Now she has been suspended for one day, and her father tells Planet Princeton he believes she is being suspended because she has exposed incidents of racism at the high school.

However, Princeton High School Principal Gary Snyder wrote in an email to parents that there were “a few seniors” who were suspended because of the collage they submitted to the yearbook.

“As the principal of Princeton High School, I want to state that we unequivocally oppose the use of offensive language and symbols,” he wrote, adding that the high school would protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

The district provided the full text of the email late Monday afternoon. That text can be found below. It was unable to provide further comment due to the students’ legal right to privacy.

Ponder echoed her father’s stance on the suspension in her most recent blog post on Multi Magazine.

“Your secret is out, PHS,” she wrote. “Everyone knows that Princeton Public Schools has constantly and consistently failed people of color and there is energy wasted in trying to mask the inconvenient truth in arbitrary suspensions. Just because you maim the messenger doesn’t mean the truth dies with them. I won’t be in school on Monday but you’ll still have an embarrassing education gap.”

Multi Magazine has been the platform Ponder has used to address various incidents of racism in the school district.

It began when she exposed a game of “Jews vs. Nazis” beer pong being played by high school students.

In March, she tackled a Snapchat post in which a white student used a racial slur in reference to the black students she was with on a school bus.

Last month, she wrote about a black student who was blamed for giving a brownie laced with marijuana to another student.

“Why would u tell your mom I gave you pot brownies when I didn’t?” the unnamed student asks another in a text message posted by Ponder on her blog.

The student responded that someone told him to and that no one would ask any questions “Bc ur black.”

The full text of Snyder's email to families can be found below:

"Princeton High School values and strives to instill in our students compassion, respect, equity, and unity. This year’s Princeton High School yearbook was designed to celebrate those ideals, but unfortunately, there were a few senior collages that undermined that goal with insensitive, offensive, and provocative words and symbols of racial bias, bigotry, and anti-Semitism. Both faculty and students on the yearbook staff have acknowledged shortcomings in their editorial review process that enabled the inappropriate content to slip through and have apologized for unknowingly publishing such content. Those students who submitted the inappropriate collages are responsible for their actions, and those actions are being addressed within the parameters of school discipline.

"A high school yearbook is a keepsake for all students and for the entire school community. The words and symbols that were used in the yearbook are neither appropriate or acceptable. While we encourage our students to have thoughtful dialogues and challenging academic discussions within safe spaces and with established ground rules, the use of historically offensive words and symbols in a yearbook crosses the boundaries of productive dialogue and into the realm of offensive speech that is not permissible within the domains of our school community.

"As the Principal of Princeton High School, I want to state that we unequivocally oppose the use of offensive language and symbols. I also want to state, however, that I will defend and protect the privacy of the individuals involved. We all, including the school, parents, community members, and media, have a responsibility to protect our young people and create an environment where students can truly learn from their mistakes rather than be permanently condemned for them.

"Lastly, I know that many of our school community members, including proud alumni, are troubled by the various reports of student conduct. I am equally upset and concerned, and yet I also have the privilege of seeing the courageous and positive efforts of students and faculty each day who are working tirelessly to teach, learn, and promote civility and understanding that is so very much needed in our town and nation. Princeton High School has a long tradition of student expression and activism to promote ideas from all perspectives. We must continue to have and promote the exchange of ideas that challenges the status quo, and we must do so with kindness, warmth, and open minds. We must do so in ways that promote positive dialogue instead of stifling discussion or increasing divisiveness through hurtful messages, words, and symbols.

"We all have a stake and a responsibility to ourselves, families, and communities to continue to work toward a greater degree of harmony in our world."

To view Ponder's latest blog, about her suspension, visit multimagsite.com.

Patch file photo