An investigation is underway at Indiana High School when a student on the boys’ basketball team with a photo caption in the school’s 2020 yearbook was listed as “Black Guy” instead of his name.
The superintendent apologized in a Facebook live video that evening after photos of the photos in Brown County High School’s annual book were posted on social media Monday.
“It has been brought to our attention that this yearbook is not a really understandable statement in it,” said Superintendent Laura Hammak, adding that officials are “trying to better understand what the situation is about.”
Hammeck declined a request for an interview Thursday, citing a statement released Monday to NBC News that she and Brown County High School principal, Matthew Stark.
In a Facebook video he said he did not know all the details of how it happened and an investigation has been launched. Hammack said officers spent the day with the student’s family to make sure they would determine “this horrible situation.”
“This is a clear violation of our nondiscrimination policy,” Hammack said.
The student has not been publicly identified. He appears to be the only black or multislay player in the team’s photos, although state data indicate that no black students were enrolled in the school last year.
The matter is “not inconsistent,” Hammak said. “And that means the results will need to be deployed.”
To rectify the situation, officials are considering republishing the new yearbook and spending behind the school district.
“This yearbook basically needs to be fixed,” Hammack said.
He said he had heard from as many as 2020 graduates who were “so sick” and that he “couldn’t agree more.”
Hammack said she wanted the community to understand that “this is a fundamental situation that we are taking as our only priority” and that “we are working very hard to make sure we can move forward.”
Brown County High School is a public school in Nashville, about 50 miles south of Indianapolis. According to state statistics, 577 students were enrolled in the school year 2019-20, most of whom – 92.2 per cent – are white.
Hammack said it was “very devastating for a family that needs to go through this for the community” and “heartbreaking” for the community.
“As a teacher, my only response that I know is to dig up, learn more and be able to use the resources to increase our understanding and awareness so that we can do the same for our students.” “And we’re committed to that.”
