Texas Yearbooks Pulled After Offensive Comment Printed
School officials in Texas have pulled all of the yearbooks for one high school after an inappropriate comment describing some of the students was printed.
Students and parents of Mesquite High School in were appalled and shocked to read a section dedicated to special needs students described as "mentally retarded," according to KDFW.
The yearbooks were recalled and school administrators stated that they would remove the section and return the yearbooks once the section was removed.
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"Some of the disabilities the students in the Special Education Program have are being blind, deaf or non-verbal … (students' names) are both blind and deaf, as well as mentally retarded," the section in question read according to school spokeswoman Laura Jobe.
The poor word choice was quickly met with scorn from parents of students, who thought that a mistake like this should not have happened, and that no student should be described in a derogatory manner.
"That word is hideous and the fact that it could get put in a yearbook and be overlooked by a faculty adviser which is an adult. I can see the kids doing it and missing it but not an adult," parent Jana Lazarus told KDFW.
The Mesquite Independent School District released a statement stating that they value all students and that special needs in particular are a highly valued part of the Mesquite High community. Officials explained that no offense was meant and that they tried to dedicate a section to them.
"We earnestly regret the term 'mentally retarded' was included … and offer our apologies to our students and their families," Jobe said.
In addition to removing the comment, school officials stated that the section would have been removed anyway because some students pictures were used without first obtaining parental permission.
