Last week, one of the boys who was disciplined had suggested — whether inadvertently or purposefully — that black students belong in the back of the bus, according to the school district’s investigation of the incident. Just before that, the two disciplined students had chanted, “Trump, Trump, Trump.”

One parent, Lisa Goebel, said Tuesday that she thinks the district and parents inaccurately portrayed the remark as racist.

She said her son, who was also on the bus, told her the disciplined student had simply told an African-American student to go to the back of the bus because that’s where her teammates were.

Regardless of the meaning of the remark, “it was an inappropriate comment” and it was interpreted by some to be racist, said Susan Downing, district spokeswoman.

The district will not disclose how the students were disciplined because of federal student privacy laws.

Downing said the student who burned Ursery’s son with glue was disciplined the day after the incident, and the incident was reported to the police.

Ladue has said it was already working on a number of tolerance initiatives before the bus incident.