Breaking: Downers Grove North students posted 'violent, racist' comments to social media

DOWNERS GROVE - Downers Grove North High School students posted “violent and racist" to remarks on social media, North Principal Janice Schwarze informed the school community in a letter on Wednesday.

“I am sorry to share that the North High administration has been made aware of violent and racist social media posts involving students from North High School,” Schwarze wrote in the letter. “We immediately investigated and determined that no one is in physical danger.

“Racism is hurtful and goes against the inclusive environment we work every day to foster at our school,” Schwarze continued. “Neither racism nor violence should ever be portrayed as a joke. These social media posts demean our community, and we condemn them without reservation or qualification.”

Due to student privacy, the school cannot share specifics about the posts or the consequences that will be issued, only that consequences for such behavior can be severe, Schwarze said.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time North High School has encountered racist behaviors,” Schwarze wrote. “As a result of our district equity work over the past several years, we created a Bias Incident Response Plan, which includes members who are trained to respond in ways that promote healing and learning. The task force is now working on next steps guided by our protocols.”

“I am very sorry for the hurt caused by these inappropriate social media posts. I can assure you that we are committed to doing the necessary work that will help us build a safe, inclusive community where all members are consistently treated with respect.”

Schwarze said concerned students brought the social media posts to the attention of school officials.

“I thank them for reaching out and speaking up against racism,” she said. “It is critical that we condemn racist behavior and work to do better. Any person who has concerns about something they observe can report them to a trusted adult at our schools or post to Anonymous Alerts.

"I know that we are living in challenging times. Supporting each other and standing united as a school community has never been more important. I look forward to our continued growth as a school community."