A photograph of a principal and three more educators posing with noose in leaked photo incites outra

Summerwind Elementary School in Palmdale is all over the news throughout the country. Not because  of its great achievements. But due to four employees seen on a controversial  picture. 

The Palmdale School District employees who are smiling in a picture with a noose, all are suspended. According to the statement release this afternoon, from the office of the Superintendent Raul Madolando from the Palmdale School District. 

Photo Credit: Palmdale School District

Fomer Board Member of the Palmdale School District, Joyce Ricks in a statement sent to us had this to say about the incident. 

“This is not an isolated incident  Racism has been going on for sometime it's just been exposed. This school district needs to hire teachers and administrators who are culturally sensitive. As a past board member I have tried to speak on this however as the only African American board member during my term it went on death ears. The board didn't even feel like it was necessary for them to take the unconscious bias classes they asked others to do. This kind of behavior starts at the top, “ Ricks said.  

To the African American community, a noose is a weapon, a symbol of slavery and lynching. 

The Palmdale School District, statement regarding the incident.  

Office of the Superintendent Late afternoon (May 8th) it has been brought to the Palmdale School District’s attention that an incident involving the discovery of a noose and possibly inappropriate responses to that discovery occurred at Summerwind Elementary School. 

The Principal has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation of the matter. Our Palmdale Promise to our students and community is to ensure the following: EQUITY for all our students, schools, and communities as reflected in outcomes and opportunities.

• Facilitating and supporting every student’s achievement by BUILDING ON THEIR STRENGTHS, CULTURES, LANGUAGES, and experiences to create new successes. • MULTILINGUALISM and MULTICULTURALISM as individual, community, national, and global assets in the 21st century. • INTEGRITY AND COMMUNITY based on trust and the common purpose that empower individuals and communities.