Report: Wis. Student Suspended After Placing Racist Quote In Yearbook
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A high school senior in western Wisconsin was reportedly suspended after placing a coded racist message in the "Senior Notes" section of his school yearbook.
The Leader-Telegram reports that the student at Menomonie High School placed a quote in the yearbook that, when the first letter of each word is taken and spelled out, forms the message: "I hate blacks."
The original quote read: "Ib has a tiny earning, but leaves a crisp kid satisfied."
The quote was not flagged during the yearbook editing process, the newspaper reports. Also not flagged was a quote from Adolf Hitler.
District officials are considering handing out adhesive patches to cover the quotes. Others in the community, however, are asking for the yearbooks to be reprinted.
The student who was suspended told officials the coded message was a prank. It remains to be determined if the student will be allowed to graduate.
On Monday, a rally was held outside Menomonie High School to show support for students of color, the newspaper reports. Meanwhile, administrators discussed if the Senior Quotes section should be scrapped from future yearbooks.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Menomonie, a community about 70 miles east of the Twin Cities, is more than 90 percent white. About 1 percent of the population is black.
