EUREKA, Mo. — A racist social media post of girls in blackface is circulating at Eureka High School.
The picture is captioned with a racial slur: “n----- babies.”
“People who are outraged and hurt by the post are completely justified,” Eureka High School’s Associate Principal Jennifer Strauser said.
Strauser said staff spent time last week meeting with students who felt marginalized by the post and their families.
"I don't want that message to be that we don't have that problem here at Eureka High School. I want the message to be that we realize we have that problem here at Eureka High School, and we work hard every day, what we can do, to make sure that our kids know that we love them,” she said.
One mom we spoke to said racism at the school is nothing new.
"My children didn't always come home and talk about it, but when the issue came up, it was normal for them, unfortunately,” she said.
She asked us not to report her name because she’s worried for her daughter, who isn’t comfortable at the school. Eureka High’s student body is about 6% black.
"Please know that we took it very seriously and we followed district policy,” Strauser said.
Citing student privacy reasons, Strauser couldn't say what punishment the student in the picture faces. District policy states such behavior could warrant a suspension of up to 10 days.
"We need to repair that harm and we need to educate and move on from that,” Strauser said.
So far, administrators have not talked with all students about the post, and that bothers the mom we met.
"I think it's baloney. I think they should address the entire student body,” she said. "Sometimes your silence is more powerful than speaking."
Eureka High School says they're in the process of planning conversations with all students to help them learn from what happened. Strauser told 5 On Your Side they're hoping to schedule those conversations for next week.
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