Students at Houston high school dress up for offensive ‘thug day’; admins say ‘not funny’

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Students at a Houston high school may have taken their spirit week too far when they dressed in racially offensive clothing, chains, jewels and jerseys and some plaited their hair in corn rows for what they called “thug day.”

As many as 30 students at Memorial High School dressing up in the outfits spurred school administrators to cancel the event, KHOU reports.

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According to former student Monica Day, she remembers when back in 2015, when it was called “senior swag day.” She says it clearly was a day meant to promote stereotypes.

“We also used to have “Senioritas” which was a Mexican theme day in which many girls would wear Mexican dresses and boys would wear ponchos, sombreros and fake mustaches,” Day said. “During the theme day students would ‘act Mexican’ and ask other students if they needed their lawns mowed. One female student who I will not name went so far as to dress as a border patrol officer at school.”

According to a statement from school officials, the event was for juniors celebrating passing into the senior class and that class officers worked with other students and administrators to create approved themes for the week.

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“On Tuesday, some rising juniors wore inappropriate dress and body/hair decorations as part of an alternative, unapproved response to the theme day,” the statement said.

“Thug day” spread through a social media post and through use of flyers. The event in the past was run largely by students with little oversight from school officials. Only in recent years have they required that spirit week themes get their approval.