Student’s KKK costume in English class sparks uproar
MILWAUKEE — A high school student in Wisconsin wore a Ku Klux Klan costume to deliver an English class presentation, sparking an uproar on social media and disappointment from the school's principal.
The student's presentation at Westosha Central High School in Salem angered some students and parents, the Kenosha News reported, and principal Lisa Albrecht responded Monday in a statement to parents.
"As any of you would be, I was appalled by the photo," the News quoted Albrecht as saying.
The uproar appears to have stemmed from photos posted on social media Monday morning by other students in the class. One in particular, posted to Twitter, had been retweeted more than 100 times as of midday Tuesday.
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In it, the student can be seen draped in what looks like a white sheet, with holes cut out for the eyes and nose. A screen behind the student displays the words "Crime in the 1920s."
Another student, Jessica Batko, posted a video on Twitter of part of the presentation, with the message: "Why???"
The school responded publicly to the uproar later Monday on social media. A tweet from the high school's account refers followers to a Facebook post, however, that Facebook post is no longer available.
A report by WITI-TV also references a statement by Albrecht posted to Facebook, but that Facebook post is no longer availalble. It is unclear why or when the post was taken down.
Some of the context for student's presentation is unclear, but fellow student Jessica Batko told the Journal Sentinel that their 11th-grade honors English class has been reading The Great Gatsby. Students were assigned to research a topic related to the 1920s, and this student chose to focus on crime but provided little info specific to the KKK, Batko said.
"There was only a student teacher in the room at the time and she never told him to take it off, however she did talk to him after class," Batko said.
The school has yet to respond to the Journal Sentinel's request Tuesday morning for comment about the incident.