Abbey Zelko

azelko@ydr.com

More than 30 York Suburban High School students dressed in black Friday morning to show support for students at York County School of Technology.

York Suburban Superintendent Shelly Merkle said the group of students became concerned after hearing reports of racially motivated incidents at York Tech, including a video of York Tech students carrying a Trump sign and someone saying, “White power."

“Anxieties have been high in the last few days related to the political climate,” Merkle said.

And students wanted to organize a demonstration to support the York Tech students who felt “violated."

York Tech students, community respond after 'white power' video

Students gathered in the cafeteria at 7:35 a.m. until the bell rang at 7:45 a.m.

“For those 10 minutes, those students stood together to show their support,” Merkle said.

Before they left for class, Merkle took a photo of them holding signs that said: “We stand together as one” and “YS will not tolerate racism,” which was later posted to Facebook.

“We are supporting everyone of every race, and we are trying to get everyone to know that we will not tolerate racism,” said Jalissa Breeland, a sophomore who helped organize the demonstration.

Merkle said demonstrating in support of other students is a wonderful thing.

“Our students did an exceptional job of making a statement without being disruptive,” she said.

Other schools around York County encouraged students to report any problems they see.

The Dover Area School District posted a message online Friday, saying the district had received some questions about safety or possible school disruptions in relation to incidents at other schools.

"Please be aware that the administration of the Dover Area School District will not tolerate any incidents involving racially charged comments, activities, or hate speech being aimed at students in our schools related to the election or any event," the message said. "Every student deserves to feel valued, respected, and safe. Collectively, everyone must be mindful to maintain a safe environment of which all students feel a part."

York High students wear black to support York Tech

Any students who felt threatened or mistreated were encouraged to share that with administrators, guidance counselors, other staff or parents.

The Central York School District wasn't aware of any racially charged incidents in its schools related to the election, spokeswoman Julie Romig said in an email. She issued a similar statement, encouraging students to report any concerns they have so they can be addressed.

Sandra Thompson, president of the York NAACP, has been looking into what has happened at York Tech. She heard about students at York Suburban and William Penn Senior High taking steps to stand in solidarity with York Tech students.

"We do want to mention that we applaud them for taking that lead," Thompson said.

Angie Mason contributed to this report.