Clover officials take action after former students’ overtly racist video resurfaces
An overtly racist video with former Clover High School students in it has resurfaced on social media after two years, and Clover officials and a former student have taken action in response.
The video, which appeared to show two high school boys speaking racial slurs, including the n-word to the camera, again came to the attention of school officials on June 3, said Bryan Dillon, the spokesman for the Clover School District.
The persons in the video were former Clover students, Dillon said. School officials took disciplinary action described as “corrective” toward the students in the video, but Dillon said the district could not comment on the action because of confidentiality laws.
Amber Lipscomb, Clover High School’s student body president in 2018, tweeted out the video on June 3 and tagged the Clover High School Twitter account. Lipscomb told The Herald she posted the vulgar video in an effort to get the attention of the Clover School District.
“Like other schools, things like this always happened but no one ever got caught or faced consequences,” Lipscomb said in a direct message on Twitter to The Herald. “This time, not only did I want to hear that they faced some type of repercussions, but I wanted to hear Clover High School denouncing offensive language and standing up for the African American community. I contacted the Public Information Officer asking for them to make a public statement online and/or (via) email about the social issues this country is going through because it’s happening in our small town as well.”
Lipscomb said after she sent that email, Clover School District Superintendent Dr. Sheila Quinn called her.
“We had a great conversation about how Clover High School is handling situations like this from now on as well as CHS making it known that this behavior is not tolerated and Clover stands with their African American students,” Lipscomb said. “Then, later she told me they put out a statement, that is up now available online, and called all the parents about the situation.”
In an email to Clover district staff after the death of George Floyd, which spawned protests against police brutality and for social change across the country, Quinn stated that racism is wrong. That message remains on the Clover School District website.
“Make no mistake, injustice, violence, brutality, racism, and hatred in all of its forms have no place in our society,” Quinn wrote in the email to Clover school staff on June 2.
Soon after the video released, Clover High School Principal Rod Ruth sent a message to parents and students stating that racist language and behavior will not be tolerated, Dillon said.
“As the world wrestles with the realities of racial injustice, Clover High School has a responsibility and a calling to provide an environment that is not simply non-racist, but anti-racist,” Ruth wrote in the message. “At Clover High, we denounce racism of any kind as it stands counter to everything we strive for as a school. Racist language and behavior cannot stand, whether it be digital or in person. As these types of behaviors show themselves, they will be met with corrective action.”
Also earlier this month, Clover High School football coach Brian Lane tweeted a video of him explaining how racism can only be eradicated when people “create a dialogue through empathy.”
“And you might say, ‘Well Coach Lane, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to say,” Lane said in the video. “Well, the first thing you need to say is, ‘I hear you. I stand with you. I can see the issues that you face.’”
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 2:31 PM.
.jpeg)
