Michigan’s Royal Oak Police Department placed one of its officers outside Royal Oak Middle School Thursday morning after some parents said they feared for the safety of students because a video showing students chanting “Build the wall” went viral on social media.
Dee Perez-Scott posted a video appearing to show Royal Oak Middle School students in the cafeteria chanting “Build the wall” one day after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.
“This happened today at Royal Oak Middle School in Royal Oak Michigan. It is so sad. Latino children were crying,” Perez-Scott wrote in a Facebook post featuring the video that has received more than 2.7 million views.
“The taunts, the ‘Build that Wall’ with such bullying power and hate from children to children. Just Horrifying!” Perez-Scott also wrote:
School Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin released a statement, Fox2 News reports, in response to the video and the concern it has created.
The school, he said, is “committed to providing a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment for all students,” adding, “We addressed this incident when it occurred. We are addressing it today. We are working with our students to help them understand the impact of their words and actions on others in their school community.”
“In responding to this incident – indeed in responding to this election – we need to hear each other’s stories, not slogans, we need to work towards understanding, not scoring points, and we need to find a way to move forward that respects and values each and every member of our community,” Lewis-Ladin’s statement continued. “We will be working on this in school today. Please work on this with us.”
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @jeromeehudson.
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