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  • 2021-04-14 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Texas Students Hold a Mock Slave Auction on Snapchat? (en)
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  • In March 2021, Texas school district administrators learned of a purported mock slave auction organized by high school students on Snapchat. The students attended the Don R. Daniel Ninth Grade Campus at Aledo High School. They were subsequently disciplined by the Aledo Independent School District. Aledo is a suburb of Fort Worth. The news was first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on April 12. It published that the students who participated in the group pretended to sell their Black classmates. They placed mock bids and posted comments about the bids. A screenshot showed that the group name had at various times included the words slave trade, farm, and auction. When the screenshot was captured, the group name appeared to be a racial epithet followed by the word auction. It also showed that one student bid $100 on a Black classmate. Another mock bid was $1 with the comment: Would be better if his hair wasn't so bad. An emoji posted by Texas students in the mock slave auction showed a Black man with a straw hat. In one case, the emoji of the Black man in a straw hat was followed by a green water pistol and an emoji of a police officer. Most platforms no longer allow emojis of real firearms. The next closest emoji offered for users is the green water pistol. A spokesperson with the Aledo Independent School District told us that state and federal law prohibit schools from publicly disclosing disciplinary actions taken on students. In a statement sent to Snopes, Aledo Superintendent Susan Bohn said that the school district made a formal determination that racial harassment and cyberbullying had occurred. She also noted that disciplinary action had been taken: The Associated Press also reported that Eddie Burnett, president of Parker County NAACP, said he plans to take up the matter with the Aledo Independent School District board. In an interview with WFAA-TV, Burnett said: 'It's just kids. They're just playing. They don't know any better.' Well damn, teach them better. In sum, it was true that Texas high school students were disciplined after participating in a mock slave auction on Snapchat. (en)
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