‘Intolerable.’ Teens seen in photo ‘re-enacting’ George Floyd death at NC high school

Social media posts showing two high school students in North Carolina re-enacting George Floyd’s death have prompted an investigation by school officials.

A screenshot of the picture was shared Friday on South Caldwell High School’s Facebook page. In the photo, a student can be seen giving a thumbs up and holding one knee on the back of another student’s neck. The second student is lying face down with his hands held behind his back. The caption reads “Welcome to South Caldwell.”

Both of the students appear to be white.

Principal Phillip Little said in a video statement Friday that the incident occurred during class change the day before and has “shaken the emotional well-being of our students, our faculty and our community.” He said the school began investigating Thursday.

“Our nation has been forced to reflect on its difficult history, our challenging present and our responsibilities to each other as good people. Our school is going through these difficult dialogues right now,” Little said. “We’ve conducted a thorough investigation of this violation of school rules and the code of conduct. We’ve dealt with the parties responsible, and we have counseled with their families.”

It wasn’t immediately clear Monday whether the students involved faced any punishment.

South Caldwell High School is in Hudson, about 70 miles northwest of Charlotte. About 1,500 students attend the school — 89% of whom are white, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Just 1% of the student body is Black.

Floyd, 46, died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck for more than nine minutes, as three other officers chose not to intervene. Chauvin was convicted April 20 on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Don Phipps, the superintendent for Caldwell County Schools, did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Monday. But in a statement to WBTV, he called “students re-enacting the scene involving George Floyd” a “troubling and disturbing image.”

“I want to stress that this image does not represent the values, beliefs or ideals of the Caldwell County Schools,” Phipps said. “...We are appalled by this behavior and extend our apologies for any emotional turmoil that it has caused. We pledge to use this as a catalyst for work in our system to build harmony as we strive to stand together, united, in support of one another.”

Little, the school principal, said it was an “intolerable incident.”

“It was an inappropriate photo that immediately generates a response because it was disrespectful and insensitive,” he said. “These actions are not tolerated at our school.”

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