A group of Asian American high school students in Northern California say they were sent anonymous messages on social media filled with racist slurs and comments telling them that weren’t welcome at the school.
Officials at Whitney High School in Rocklin, CA - a city in Placer County - launched an investigation after the school’s Asian Youth Leadership Association club reported that an anonymous Instagram account had sent them hate messages.
School district spokesperson Sundeep Dosanjh told the Sacramento Bee that any students identified as involved in sending the messages will be “disciplined.”
CBS Sacramento reports that the messages contained a hateful cartoon and words, along with racial slurs used against people of Chinese descent, as well as the message to the students that they “aren’t welcome at Whitney and y’all know it.”
“Rocklin Unified School District is disturbed and saddened by the hate crimes and discrimination members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community are experiencing,” Dosanjh said in the statement. “Rocklin Unified School District prioritizes anti-bullying, equity and inclusivity on all of its campuses and is committed to provide a positive, safe and welcoming atmosphere where students can unite, respect and celebrate the diverse school community through school events.”
Between March 2020 and February 2021, the organization Stop AAPI Hate received 1,691 reports of anti-Asian discrimination in California alone.