GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Several parents are outraged after students in a high school band spelled out a racially charged word when they hit the field for their halftime show over the weekend.
In a letter to parents, obtained by Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez, the principal of Brookwood High School stated the band members normally take the letter covers off their instruments. Since there was a staffing issue, protocol wasn't followed.
“This was not an accident. This was deliberately done. That formation is practiced," Shawn Myers, a mother, told us. “It’s derogatory. It’s nothing. It means you’re nothing."
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Myers isn’t the only parent who’s upset.
Many people reached out to Channel 2 Action News over the weekend, saying they were displeased band members assembled themselves to spell out the racially insensitive word using instrument covers that are normally used to spell "broncos," the school mascot.
“To know the atmosphere is polluted with racism, it hurts my heart," Myers said.
It also hurts her son, a freshman at the school, who is a part of the concert band.
“I don’t like being a part of Brookwood because of this. I’m disappointed," he said.
In a letter to students, parents and the community, the school’s principal apologized for the “completely unacceptable, racial term" and noted, “Last night during what was already a busy senior night, we experienced several personnel challenges that resulted in our band director not being on the field when the band took the field.”
He also stated the band members didn't follow the band rules when they left the covers on.
“I need them to be held responsible for it. Totally responsible. I want these guys expelled," Myers said.