District cancels Spirit Week after unapproved 'Thug Day'
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Spring Branch ISD and Memorial High School have canceled the rest of the themed spirit week after some students took it too far.
Some students, without approval, morphed the so-called Jersey Day (on which students wear athletic jerseys) into what some students called "Thug Day." The district said their hairstyles, clothing, and accessories violated school policy.
There is fierce reaction on social media.
One tweet, which has garnered thousands of reactions, shows photographs of some students, and writes "Yes, this actually happened today at an actual high school but ya'll keep saying racism isn't a problem anymore."
One person responded "They were joking. Come on it's so obvious."
But another wrote, "Can't blame the ignorant for they know no better. Goes deeper than these kids."
In addition to a letter the principal sent home to parents and students, the district sent us a statement which read:
"Memorial High School has a longstanding tradition for its rising juniors to have special dress days during the week before finals to celebrate the fact that this student class will soon be seniors. MHS junior class officers worked together with students and administrators to create approved Monday-Friday dress-up themes: Hippie, Jersey, 2000s, USA/America, Hawaiian. On Tuesday, some rising juniors wore inappropriate dress and body/hair decorations as part of an alternative, unapproved response to the theme day. As a shared expectation about the theme was clearly violated, MHS has cancelled all remaining dress theme days for the remainder of this week. While the majority of rising juniors followed the approved dress theme on Tuesday, any instance of an inappropriate or offensive dress violation will not be tolerated. Students found to be in violation of the Student Code of Conduct and dress code will be given a consequence. MHS is focused today on preparing all students for finals and ending the school year well."
