A group of high school students in California will be disciplined for photos during a sponsored event that appeared on social media last week spelling out racial and homophobic slurs, district official said.

The nine students from Escondido High School reportedly faced a variety of punishments after they were seen in an Instagram photo that spelled the n-word during a senior picnic on Thursday.

Former students told KGTV that school officials traditionally allow seniors to wear shirts that display pre-approved messages at the annual event, but some teens took it upon themselves to “make a poor decision that is not aligned with the schools’ or districts’ culture and values,” according to a statement released by the school.

“Escondido Union High School District has been committed to creating a learning environment where every student feels included and welcomed,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, the poor choices by a few have had a significant impact on our students and staff throughout the district, the school communities and even the greater community itself.”

The school’s principal, Adriana Lepe-Ramirez, announced Sunday that the students in the photo will be disciplined, but declined to elaborate.

“We believe the lessons to be learned need to, and can, far exceed a period of punishment,” the statement read. “Our school community, along with alumni, families, fellow schools and others are sharing in this pain. Together, we have begun the process of educating all on the implications and power of one’s actions and decisions.”

Students also posed for photos of themselves spelling out anti-gay slurs. Police in Escondido, meanwhile, announced they won’t pursue criminal charges against the students, BuzzFeed News reports.

A former student at the school told BuzzFeed he spotted a video of the students on Snapchat and then captured a photo of it before posting it to Instagram. Another student who attended last week’s event said racism isn’t an issue at the school.

“A few students decided to spell out some dumb stuff to be funny in the moment, I guess, but that’s not us or what most of us believe,” Nyla McGlory told BuzzFeed News. “Nothing like this has ever really happened before.”

The students in the offending photos, meanwhile, will be punished in different ways, including suspension, removal from team sports and related organizations and being prohibited from walking during graduation, according to BuzzFeed News.