A school district in upstate New York drew criticism with a Facebook post showing three students standing behind a dirty snowman with a caption that read: “As diverse as our students!”
“Today’s CE Fourth Grade Playground Fun!” Coxsackie-Athens Central School District wrote in the caption accompanying the photo.
NEW YORK OB-GYN ACCUSED OF ABUSING PATIENTS SHE DID IT HER ENTIRE CAREER, PROSECUTORS CLAIM
But the school district didn’t leave, it just left things there. The publication went on to say that the snowman, smeared with dirt and mud, is “as diverse as our students.”
The post sparked a strong reaction from users.
“I don’t want to be compared to a dirty snowman, muddy snowman = black, ethnic, diverse snowman and that’s not weird to you.” a user commented under the image that someone else reposted. “It’s a lazy, thoughtless way of trying to be ‘inclusive’ instead of hiring more black and brown staff or trying to find ways to make the black and brown community more comfortable, or embracing diversity in real ways, causes action figures, not just a muddy snowman implying that he’s diverse…it’s absurd and dehumanizing.”
The Coxsackie-Athens Central School District came under fire after posting an image of three fourth-graders with a dirty snowman while saying it was “as diverse as our students.”
(Coxsackie-Athens Central School District)
“So let me start by saying it’s absolutely disgusting and on so many levels and I’m still confused as to why people are laughing because this is not funny in any way, such racist proposals and they’re not even covering it up and’ using a school platform to showing it off is even more disgusting,” another wrote.
Some came to the defense of the school district by pointing out that the caption referred to a snowman.
“It’s a snowman, we’re getting offended by everything now! (I’m white) I don’t think this is bad but maybe I’m just not seeing it,” the user wrote. “We all tried to make a snowman out of school snow, not the cleanest. This is a new low pain in the ass on frost.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The school district removed the image hours after it was posted, district superintendent Randy Squier said in a message posted on his website.
“The word ‘diverse’ was used to describe how each child can make a snowman differently and this variety of creativity should be celebrated,” she said. “When it was raised that this post could be construed as being about race, the post was removed.”
He said the district will review its social media policies and “continue our commitment to provide a learning environment where every person feels they belong.”
