School staff fired on 'US Border Patrol' T-shirts after photo went viral

Things got off to a rocky start with the start of school in a South Carolina district.

Several staff members at Royall Elementary School in Florence County have been fired or placed on leave after posting a controversial photo of a Hispanic heritage celebration that included “Border Patrol” T-shirts.

Florence 1 Schools Superintendent Dr. Richard O'Malley addressed the “inexcusable” behavior of staff members in a letter after photos of the event last week were shared on the district's Facebook page . The footage, which has since been removed, showed staff wearing sombreros, standing in front of a red brick-like wall with a sign reading “Royall Cantina”.

(Video credit: WPDE ABC15)

“My staff notified me of an inappropriate social media post on one of our school's Facebook accounts. What was published, and the conduct of the staff involved, is inexcusable and not a representation of the school, its students and staff, or our district as a whole,” O'Malley said in a statement.

“Dear Royall parents and guardians, as you know, an inappropriate event occurred Wednesday morning during a professional development day at Royall, prior to the first day of school,” O'Malley wrote in a letter.

“Subsequently, images of the event were uploaded to the school's Facebook page. I wanted to let you know that due to the seriousness of this incident, several employees are no longer employed by the district or have been placed on leave by district administration. As superintendent, I will not tolerate anything of this nature in our school district,” the letter said.

The district's assistant superintendent of elementary education and its STEM director would step in as “acting administrators,” according to the superintendent, who also noted an investigation was underway.

The school apologized for the “insensitivity” in a statement released after the images sparked backlash.

“We regret to acknowledge that an image that was posted on our Facebook page yesterday showed a callous disregard for the current challenges facing our Hispanic population,” Royall Elementary School wrote in a Facebook publication with limited comments.

“At Royall, we are very proud of our long tradition of welcoming and supporting every student who walks through the doors of our building. Our staff is unanimously committed to celebrating the diversity of our families and ensuring that all and that each of Royall's students succeed, be happy and be recognized for their unique culture and skills,” the school noted. “We apologize for our insensitivity, but look forward to fostering relationships as we begin a new school year.”

The number of employees who were fired or disciplined is unclear, a school district spokeswoman said News 13 that the information could not be provided due to “confidential personnel matters.”

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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