Tag Archives: undo-the-trauma

Getty Images Idaho School Teachers Dressed Up as Mexican Border Wall for Halloween Yet another group of people are in the news for thinking Halloween was an excuse to be blatantly racist…but are we really surprised? Employees of Middleton Heights Elementary School thought they were killing it when they came up with the idea of dressing up as a Mexican border wall that featured the phrase, “Make America Great Again” for Halloween. But that’s not all, folks, other staffers were apart of the elaborate costume, too, spotted wearing stereotypical sombreros, ponchos, and fake mustaches. Idaho’s Middleton school district apologized after elementary school teachers dressed as a border wall and Mexican stereotypes for Halloween. The superintendent said the costumes were “clearly insensitive and inappropriate” but denied any “malicious” intent. pic.twitter.com/DwDDRuxoqE — AJ+ (@ajplus) November 2, 2018 Very shorty after the photos surfaced on Facebook, Superintendent Josh Middleton issued an apology on livestream. Though he acknowledged that the costumes were insensitive, he said that he doesn’t believe the staffers had malicious intent. “Last night, a parent contacted me expressing concern of staff costumes worn here on Halloween,” he said. “I’m deeply troubled by the decision by our staff members to wear those costumes that are clearly insensitive and inappropriate … We are better than this.” He continued, “We already have district administration looking into the matter first thing this morning…Do I think there was a malicious intent in these poor decisions? No, I don’t. Was there a poor judgment involved? Absolutely.” About a dozen Idaho-based advocacy groups—including the ACLU of Idaho, Immigrant Justice Idaho, and PODER of Idaho—released an open letter to the district’s superintendent Friday afternoon, expressing their concerns about the harm that was caused by the offensive costumes. “The intent or misjudgments of the individuals involved does not undo the trauma experienced by students, families and communities,” the letter reads. “The impact on these students does not stay only with them but has lasting effects beyond the school or classroom. We believe the school and classrooms have now become hostile environments that are not conducive to the education of the students.” The staffers who wore the costumes have not been publicly identified yet, and it is currently unclear if they face termination or any disciplinary actions for the costumes.

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This Reeks Of Mayo: Idaho School Teachers Dressed Up As Mexican Border Wall for Halloween