Nooses as Necklaces: LI School Under Fire For Racist Imagery

The Roosevelt School District says it has taken "appropriate action" after photos of nooses in a middle school classroom labeled "back to school necklaces" surfaced.

According to NBC News, the picture was part of a larger collage that was put up in a classroom in Roosevelt Middle School. It showed two nooses under the words "back to school necklaces" surrounded by stickers that said "ha" and "#yes."

The photo came to public attention after it was sent to Pastor Anthony Mackey, Jr., of the Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Roosevelt. Mackey told CNN that he received the picture from a teacher in the district, and then he shared it on Facebook and contacted the district about it.

"When I heard about it I said that this is outrageous," Mackey said to CNN. "The majority of students are minority students, African-American and Hispanic. For the image to be on the wall ... is totally unacceptable."

The Board of Education of the Roosevelt School District released a statement saying it was made aware of the image on Feb. 7 and immediately began an investigation and took "appropriate action."

"The Board of Education has zero tolerance for the display of racially offensive images," the statement said.

However, the school district would not comment about who the teachers who displayed the image were or what action was taken because it was a "personnel matter."

The story spread nationally and those involved quickly received condemnation from all over.

"Teachers should be held to a higher standard because the leaders of tomorrow learn from the teachers of today,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen. “A clear message needs to be sent that there is simply no place in our schools and in our society for this type of racist, hateful and insensitive imagery.”

Photo: Patch