A school district which allegedly gave awards to teenage cheerleaders for having the largest breasts and buttocks on the team has been accused of “body shaming”.

The “Big Boobie” and “Big Booty” awards were handed out at a tongue-in-cheek ceremony in March 2018, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has threatened to sue Kenosha Unified School District over the incident.

The ceremony, during a banquet held at Tremper High School in Wisconsin, took place in the presence of some 150 people as coaches “laughed hysterically”, according to a parent cited by the rights group in a warning letter.

Awards were given to girls deemed to have large breasts or buttocks alongside a third trophy – the “String Bean” award – for the slimmest cheerleader, the ACLU said, adding that “more traditional” prizes were also handed out.

The ACLU claimed to have seen video of the event that showed coaches saying of the “Big Booty” award recipient: “We love her butt. Everybody loves her butt.”

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Parents and staff members later reported the events to school headteacher Steven Knecht, who promised to launch an investigation.

He later told parents he had found no evidence of wrongdoing and that the awards were “meant to be funny”, according to the ACLU.

In response to a list of questions, a Kenosha Unified School District spokeswoman told The Independent: ”In regards to the Tremper incident, a clear expectation has been set that awards of this nature are not acceptable and are not to be given at Tremper cheerleading banquets going forward.

“As for the investigation, we are not at liberty to share personnel matters.”

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One cheerleader said the girls involved went along with the joke awards, telling The New York Times: ”What else were they supposed to do?”