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A now-viral video captured the moment a Black male student at a Georgia high school slapped a white female student after she called him the N-word. Parents say only the Black student was punished in the incident, and that it's not the first time the school has had a racial incident.
Officials at Locust Grove High School are investigating the incident, 11 Alive News reported, but some parents like Komisha Davis, are considering taking their children out of the school.
"Racism in any shape or form isn't okay," Davis, who has a 15-year-old daughter enrolled at the school, told the outlet. "I would like to see them not throw what they call just a word under the rug," the mother added.
Locust Grove Senior Layla Moreau says she's been called the N-word herself and banded with other students to stage a protest in response to the incident.
"We decided to take action against it because this is not the first time at that school or a school in Henry County," Moreau said, adding that she feels uncomfortable being one of a few Black students at a predominantly white high school.
Parents told the outlet that the Black student was swiftly handed down punishment for slapping the white student, while she initially went unpunished for saying a racial slur in school.
"It shouldn't be two different treatments," Moreau said. "Give the same treatment for everybody and not based on their color."
The school released a statement that said "school administrators were able to meet with students" and that the meeting was a "productive and positive way for students to express their feelings." The school is "still gathering information pertaining to the matter" and "staff remain available to listen to and support anyone who needs it."
Moreau told the news outlet she's assisting in the creation of an organization for Black students to express their concerns about the school.
Davis said students should "know that it's ok to come to school and learn and not have to be called the N-word." Parents told 11 Alive that additional protests may be underway this week.
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