A teacher at a New Hampshire high school has been placed on leave after his students wrote and filmed a racist song to the tune of “Jingle Bells,” BuzzFeed News reports.
In an apparent Snapchat video obtained by News Center Maine, two Dover High School students sing the song, which references the Ku Klux Klan, as other classmates laugh. The lyrics include, “KKK, KKK, let’s kill all the Blacks.”
In a letter sent to the community on Monday, Superintendent William Harbron wrote that the song “was part of a classroom assignment dealing with reconstruction period in American history” and called it “an incident of extreme racial insensitivity.”
“We are deeply concerned that an event such as this could occur and understand the emotion and concern that this event will create for our students, families and staff,” Harbron added. “Administration from Dover High School and the District are working with students and the school community to respond immediately and effectively to this insensitivity.”
Harbron told BuzzFeed News that the teacher, John Carver, is on paid leave. It’s unclear if the school’s administration will hand down discipline to the students involved.
“At this point in time, we don’t know enough,” Harbron told BuzzFeed News. “We need to delve deeper to fully understand the purpose of the assignment and what guidance was given to students.”
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H/T BuzzFeed News