A Texas high school is under fire after seniors turned a Spirit Week event into what they referred to as "thug day."
About 30 students at Memorial High School in Houston are being called out for their actions, which carried racist undertones. As part of the event, students dressed in chains, jerseys and fake tattoos, and wore cornrows.
Former student Monica Day shared with local news outlet KHOU that in 2015, the official term was "Senior Swag Day." This year, secret flyers simply read "Thug Day." She also shared that this isn't the only offensive Spirit Day move this school has made.
“We also used to have 'Senioritas,' which was a Mexican theme day in which many girls would wear Mexican dresses and boys would wear ponchos, sombreros and fake mustaches," Day said. "During the theme day, students would 'act Mexican' and ask other students if they needed their lawns mowed. One female student, who I will not name, went so far as to dress as a border patrol officer at school.”
Administrators canceled the remainder of Spirit Week due to the students' offensive gesture. It is unknown if any disciplinary actions have been taken.
