In the image circulating on social media, girls from a high school in Phoenix were lined up so that their shirts spelled out the N-word

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Six girls at a predominantly white high school in Phoenix, Arizona, will face disciplinary action by school authorities after a photo surfaced on social media featuring the girls wearing T-shirts that spell a racial slur.

In the image circulating on social media, the half-dozen students from Desert Vista high school line up so that their T-shirts spelled out the N-word. The photo was taken shortly after students posed for their senior class photo on Friday morning and was posted to Snapchat.



ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) District 'aware, outraged' by racist photo allegedly snapped by Desert Vista seniors https://t.co/C8Va2Upld6 #abc15 pic.twitter.com/eMqc7cxelH

In another photo, a much larger group of students can be seen wearing T-shirts with golden letters printed on them that together read “Best*you’ve*ever*seen*class*of*2016”.

Jill Hanks, a spokesperson for the Tempe Union high school district, would not provide further details on the nature of the disciplinary action but said the school district was “handling it” and would discipline “in accordance with our policies”.

“They took the senior photo, all went well, apparently these girls went off to the side and rearranged what you see in the photo,” Hanks said.

“We are just as outraged as everybody else. It’s disgusting, It’s horrible, I don’t even know if words describe it,” she said.

“They think it’s funny, they know it’s offensive, but they don’t have the historical background and they need to be educated,” said Lisa Scinto, a retired African American teacher who worked at Desert Vista between 1997 and 2001 and still lives nearby.

“What frightens me is that the adults don’t have the courage to do it,” she said.

Desert Vista, which has 3,100 students, is regarded as one of the top academic and sports schools in the state.

