A majority-minority East Bay high school is "upset and concerned" after a student wore a Ku Klux Klan costume during school on Wednesday.
Pittsburg High School Principal Todd Whitmire wrote in an email on Thursday to faculty, parents, students and community members that a student admitted he was dared to dress like a Klansman. Whitmire later shared the message with KCBS Radio, and said he believed the student "wore the costume only during certain times and not during class" during his first four periods of instruction.
"The student has been assigned consequences for his actions," Whitmire wrote, "and he will also participate in our restorative justice process to learn how his actions have impacted and harmed others."
Whitmire said an in-costume picture of the student was posted on an unnamed social media platform, and "many students, staff" and members of the surrounding community "are upset and concerned" as a result. The students who are also in the photos will be "part of the restorative process," according to the principal.
As of 2020, 81.3% of Pittsburg High School’s student body was Hispanic or African American, and nearly 20% of all students were English learners. Only 4.4% of students were white.
"We are committed to addressing what has occurred and working with this student to help him recognize the harm his actions have caused and, just as importantly, the responsibility he has, along with our school, to help repair the harm," Whitmire wrote.
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