ST. LOUIS – A social media post mocking the death of George Floyd has drawn a swift response from two St. Louis County school districts.
The post surfaced on the heels of a large Black Lives Matter walk hosted by a group of parents in the Lindbergh School District called the Lindbergh Equity and Diversity Committee (LEAD) over the weekend.
School officials confirm the post appears to show two white male students, one from Lindbergh and the other from Oakville High School in the Mehlville School District, with one student kneeling on the other’s neck with the hashtag #GeorgeFloydChallenge.
St Louis County NAACP President John Bowman called for a quick, firm response from the school districts. He also called on the students’ parents to take action in the interest of basic human decency.
“There’s no excuse for being insensitive and inhumane toward other people,” Bowman said. “We have to show empathy toward other people who have losses. It’s just a basic skill of being a human being.”
The Oakville principal and the Lindbergh superintendent have sent letters to parents calling the post “offensive and unacceptable.”
An investigation was underway with swift, appropriate action, Lindbergh superintendent, Dr. Tony Lake said.
Sara Savat, a parent who attended Saturday’s gathering with her 8 and 10-year-old students, is disgusted by the post but bolstered by those who stood together just two days earlier.
“My kids have been sad,” she said. “Just yesterday, my son said to me, ‘I don’t understand why people are racist.’ I don’t either. I felt so encouraged by that walk to see so many people.”
“You’ve got to learn something today,” Bowman said. “This is going to be a period where we’re going to have to deal with being a little uncomfortable because in my community people have been uncomfortable for a long time.”
LEAD posted on Facebook: “as evidenced (by Saturday’s walk), the community is ready. As evidenced by (the social media post) the need is urgent.“
