Red Wing students Quera Pruitt and Alissia Humphreys hoped their Homecoming week would be full of memories. They never imagined some of them would be overwhelmingly offensive.
"They hurt my feelings. No one asked me how I felt about it," said Quera, a senior.
"I have a right to be comfortable at school, and I don't appreciate that being taken away from me and making me feel uncomfortable," said Alissia, a junior.
And the two students aren't alone in feeling offended. Several African American students at Red Wing High School and their parents came forward last week after a homecoming prank went too far. According to the students and school officials, about 70 students -- all of them white -- dressed up in what they considered hip hop culture attire.
"Fake tattoos, long, saggy pants, the girls had long t-shirts," said Maxine Pruitt, Quera's mother.
But what's worse -- the offended students and their parents say -- the prank came complete with a racially offensive name.
The group of parents and students have called on the district to discipline the responsible students, who they said didn't know their limits and ended up offending others.
"When you do anything that's discriminatory, hurts people's feelings, makes fun of their heritage, background, color, religion, sexual preference, that's discrimination. And we had a case of discrimination at the high school and nothing was done," Maxine Pruitt said.
Red Wing Superintendent Stan Slessor says the district is disappointed with the students actions and words -- whether or not they were intended to be offensive. Officials did require the students to change their clothes immediately. No more punishment has followed, but the district does plan to use the incident to teach tolerance.
"As we take a look at our elementary, middle and high school, we want to take a look at how we're working together, trying to become stronger together, and we will address issues of human relations," Slessor said.
Slessor added that if any of the students involved in the prank do anything like it again -- they will be suspended. He says the district is also considering sending a letter to all parents, and they may still require the responsible students to apologize to their peers.
For Quera and Alissia, they still need closure on what they consider a hurtful prank by their classmates. They're hoping their remaining high school memories come without so much hurtful controversy.
"I really want an apology and an understanding, you know, because I'm willing to move on," Alissia said.
"[The incident] just blew me out of the water. I didn't know people still did that," added Quera.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
