MCCALLA, Alabama -- McAdory High School has issued a public apology for a "Trail of Tears" banner that was held up during a weekend football game versus the Pinson Valley Indians.



The sign, which originally began making the internet rounds through a Tumblr blog post, reads:



"Hey Indians, get ready to leave in a Trail of Tears Round 2"



On the McAdory High School website, Principal Tod Humphries said he accepts "full responsibility that arrangements were not made to have the signs pre-approved before the ballgame."



The person who is usually in charge of approving such signs, he said, is currently out on maternity leave.



The sign, said Humphries, "was not condoned by the school administration, the Jefferson County Board of Education or the community."



Humphries then goes on to offer "sincere apologies to the Native American people and to anyone who was offended by the reference to an event that is a 'stain' on our nation's past forever."



Click here to read the full apology.



The Trail of Tears refers to the U.S. Government's forcible removal of

Indians from areas in the Southeast to what is now Oklahoma. The move came during the 1830s as part of a push to remove all tribes east of the Mississippi to the west. The Trail encompassed the relocation of the Seminole, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek and Choctaw nations.



About 1,070 Indians were transported from Ross' Landing in Chattanooga to what is now Waterloo. Much of the 230-mile journey followed what is now U.S. 72.

From 1838 to 1839, as many as 20,000 Cherokee marched or rode in wagons or boats to Arkansas and Oklahoma. The route is known as the Trail of Tears because about 4,000 died on the trip.



Earlier today, BuzzFeed posted a story about the controversial banner on its website.



The banner and its message have also sparked conversation on Twitter:

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.