Students at Desert Vista High School in Arizona are being reprimanded by officials Friday after posing in a photo wearing shirts that spelled out a racial slur, according to 12News.
The six girls posed for a picture, each wearing black shirts with a character on them that spelled, "NI**ER."
NBC15 reported that the shirts may have been from a larger class photo. A parent reportedly posted a picture on Instagram with students in similar shirts, which spelled, "BEST*YOU'VE*EVER*SEEN*CLASS*OF*2016." The picture was part of a yearly photo that each class of seniors take.
A school district spokeswoman said the students took the picture after the larger class photo, and it was not done for the yearbook.
Principal Dr. Christine Barela sent a letter to parents, which said, "We want to let you know we share your outrage and disappointment over the actions of a handful of our students today. We want to make it crystal clear those actions are unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Desert Vista. Those actions do not represent who we are as a campus. We can assure you we will discipline these students in accordance with district policy and our student handbook. While we don't discuss individual discipline, we can tell you that in addition, the obvious need for sensitivity training will be addressed."
The school's black student union also posted a tweet that said, "The incident that occurred today at Desert Vista High School does not reflect the beliefs of the student body."
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