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Angry parents say racist messages were sent out en masse to a group of Black 8th grade students in Katy, TX and now the school is on high alert trying to uncover who sent the threatening texts.
All of the Black students at Seven Lakes Junior High School simultaneously got the racist texts pledging violence against them and using the n-word. Recipients immediately started calling their parents upset and outraged, reports ABC13.
Parents’ Reactions
“I was horrified, terrified,” said parent Danecia Stewart.
“I could not believe that my child, who is 13, had experienced this level of hate and this level of racism,” added parent Mona Smith.
Given the recent Santa Fe High School shooting on Friday which left 10 people dead and another 10 wounded, one parent said she is “scared to death.”
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“It was like around 12:00 p.m. when everyone received the racist message,” said 8th grader Kayla Lyons.
“It went from phone to phone to phone. When everybody got it they started looking up at each other. I looked up at Kayla. Kayla shows me her phone. I looked across the room and there was a table of Black boys and they were looking at their phone,” added student Joy Smith.
“I walked in and I saw so many girls crying, that literally broke me down,” said parent Monique Lyons.
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Statement from the School
In response, school officials brought on more security and released this statement:
This afternoon the campus administration at Seven Lakes Junior High was made aware of some racial and threatening text messages sent to a group of students, from two unknown numbers. The school administration along with the Katy ISD Police Department immediately launched an investigation to determine the source behind these inappropriate and offensive text messages. As an added precaution, police presence has been increased and we will remain on high alert until the end of the school year. At Katy ISD, providing a safe, secure and respectful environment is our top priority.
“We will be here for our children whether we have to sit in the classroom with them or not we will be here,” said Lyons.
“The school needs to do something about it and I just sit around and say everything’s gonna be OK,” said student Niya Peterson.