Lawyers are involved after five Creston High School students on the football team were disciplined this week when a photo surfaced showing them wearing white hoods and standing beside a burning cross.

In a phone interview late Thursday, asked whether the students are still being disciplined, Creston/Orient-Macksburg head football coach Brian Morrison said, "It’s ongoing. My stance is that they’re off the team."

Morrison said he spoke with all of the parents involved and said the players were no longer on the team.

"Litigation is what it is," Morrison said Thursday. "At this point tonight, they're not with us." Creston/Orient-Macksburg plays at Harlan on Friday night.

Morrison said he couldn't speak to whether the students had been suspended from the school, saying he deals only with the athletic side.

He also said he could not provide details about whom lawyers are representing or what they are advocating.

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On Friday, an attorney for the Creston Community School District, Kristy M. Latta, issued the following statement:

The Creston Community School District is committed to providing a positive and respectful learning environment for students. As an educational institution, we strive to promote civil discourse and tolerance for differing views. However, when there is a substantial disruption of or material interference with the learning environment, it is appropriate for the District to take responsive action. We are hopeful that everyone can learn from this situation as we continue working to provide our students the best educational opportunities we can.

Latta declined to comment further.

After the offensive photo surfaced on social media Wednesday morning, school leaders decided to discipline the students, who were pictured wearing Ku Klux Klan-type hoods and holding what appeared to be a Confederate flag and a firearm.

The students were removed from the football team. The school district was unable to say whether there was any other form of discipline, citing student privacy laws.

After students' cross-burning photo, coach, principal look for ways to teach

Drake University Law Professor Mark Kende said in a previous interview that discipline by the district could be an unconstitutional overreach, infringing on the students' free speech rights, if they were pictured off school grounds and were not targeting specific people.

Union County Attorney Tim Kenyon said Thursday his office is aware of the photo but explained that what is depicted in the image does not appear to be a crime.

Local law enforcement has not received any reports of threats, violence or other crimes associated with the photo, Kenyon said.

Burning cross in Iowa: Not a crime, unless rights are violated

Creston High Principal Bill Messerole issued this statement on Friday: "I am trying to begin the healing process for all involved and will not comment further."

Also on Friday, Jamie and Megan Travis, of Creston, submitted a statement to the Creston News Advertiser newspaper, identifying their son as one of the people in the offensive photo.

The Travis family apologized for their son's actions and said they support the school administration's disciplinary decisions, including removing their son from the football team.

Below is the full statement submitted to the Creston News Advertiser:

On behalf of the Travis Family, we sincerely apologize for the hurt and strife we have caused this community. We do not condone the behavior that was expressed in the recent photo that was disseminated throughout various media sources. We understand that our son has conducted himself in a way that is inappropriate and has caused disruption in the community. Our son recognizes his poor judgment and respectfully asks forgiveness from his classmates, the school and the community. The photo in no way reflects our family values. Our family strongly believes that all individuals are created equally in God’s eyes. We support Mr. Messerole, Mr. Morrison, the school board and other school officials as they impose the appropriate punishments on our son, including removing him from the football team. Additionally, we support the school as they educate our son and his classmates in helping them understand cultural diversity. As a family we have also taken measures to ensure that our son understands his actions and how they affect others. Our goal is a peaceful resolution. We want to move forward and embrace our community in eliminating racism in Creston.

The Register's attempts to reach the other students’ families for comment on Friday were unsuccessful.

Register reporters Kyle Munson and Charly Haley contributed to this report.

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