‘Reflects a poor choice’: East High principal apologizes for inappropriate photo with staff
Wichita East High School’s principal issued an apology Wednesday afternoon after a photo of her was shared around the school showing her with both middle fingers up while posing with security officials at the school.
The photo was taken in a photo booth before students arrived for Saturday’s homecoming dance.
Sara Richardson and the others in the photo thought it was just a print out, but a QR code allowed anyone to access any of the photos taken that night in the booth, a school spokesperson said.
“The picture does not align with the values and expectations I hold for our school and community,” Richardson said on the school’s Facebook page. “The image captured reflects a poor choice and is not representative of the respectful environment I strive to foster for our students and community.”
Richardson did not respond to a call for more details.
USD 259 spokesperson Susan Arensman said she didn’t know of any discipline Richardson could face and that any discipline would be a personnel matter and would not be publicly reported.
“She owned up to her mistake and she apologized publicly,” Arensman said.
On Wednesday afternoon, two East High School students leaving school both said it was not professional.
“Probably not,” a junior girl said.
A senior girl said: “Definitely not.”
Both said they saw a student share it on Instagram.
An East High alumni posted on social media a collage of the photos taken in the booth. He received it from his nephew, he said, who is an East High student. It’s a rectangular card with three photos; at the top right, it says, “Sweetheart East High’s Winter Homecoming February 10, 2024.”
The card shows the staff making different poses in the three photos. Richardson’s poses were her wearing large sunglasses while making a peace sign, pretending to be on a yellow prop phone and then the last photo of her with the middle fingers.
“He sent me the whole picture they could see on the photo booth link,” the person wrote on social media. “(I’m) just glad we didn’t have these cameras when I was there.”
Richardson became principal in Fall 2018, after serving as an assistant principal, when former principal Ken Thiessen retired.
Richardson frequently posts on social media about school happenings and accolades.
In 2021, East High received the School of Excellence award from the American College Application Campaign, which is “a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential.”
