'Border Patrol' shirts worn by staff spark controversy, lead to multiple firings at South Carolina school
Several staff from a South Carolina elementary school have been fired or placed on leave after images of them in "Border Patrol" T-shirts were posted on social media.
An elementary school in South Carolina is facing backlash after pictures of staff in "Border Patrol" T-shirts surfaced on the district's Facebook page.
The Royall Elementary School staff who were featured in the photos have since been fired or placed on administrative leave, according to a letter sent out by Florence 1 Schools Superintendent Dr. Richard O'Malley.
Florence 1 Schools posted the images, which have since been taken down, with two staff members wearing gray "Border Patrol" T-shirts during a Hispanic heritage celebration event held on Wednesday.
Another image posted on the school’s social media page showed staff members wearing sombreros and other attire and standing in front of a red brick wall with a "Royall Cantina" sign.
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O'Malley acknowledged the controversial photo and issued a statement saying that an investigation into the situation was underway.
"I was notified by my staff of an inappropriate social media post on one of our school’s Facebook accounts. What was posted, and the conduct of the staff involved, is inexcusable and not a representation of the school, its students and staff, or of our district as a whole," O'Malley wrote.
O'Malley also issued a letter to all parents of the school district and shared it with Fox News Digital.
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"Dear Royall Parents and Guardians, As you may be aware, an inappropriate event occurred Wednesday morning during a Professional Development day at Royall, prior to the first day of school. Subsequently, pictures of the event were posted on the school’s Facebook page. I wanted to inform you that, due to the serious nature of this incident, several employees are no longer employed by the district or have been placed on leave by the district’s administration. As superintendent, I will not tolerate anything of this nature in our school district," the letter reads.
O’Malley added that the district’s assistant superintendent of elementary education and its STEM director would serve as "acting administrators."
Royall Elementary School issued its own statement, acknowledging the images and apologizing for the "insensitivity."
The comments have been turned off on the school's apology post on Facebook.