Black Students Targeted With Racist Texts, Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Responds

Black Students Targeted With Racist Texts, Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Responds

"Let us be clear: messages like these have no place in Hopkins Schools," said Mhiripiri-Reed in the letter to families.

HOPKINS, Minn. — Black students in Minnesota schools have been targeted by racist text messages following Tuesday night's election, according to the superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools.

"We have learned that Black students at one of our middle schools received racist text messages referencing slavery and plantations, coming from an unidentified source," said Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed in a letter to families.

Previous reporting on KARE11.com confirmed that racist text messages were sent to Black people across the country telling them to "report" to plantations and pick cotton.

"Let us be clear: messages like these have no place in Hopkins Schools," said Mhiripiri-Reed in the letter to families.

In Hopkins, students received the messages on their personal devices. The school district confirmed that the messages didn't contain any data from Hopkins and the district doesn't maintain records of students' phone information.

"Our country is facing a period of significant division, and the recent election has stirred a range of emotions. Although Hopkins Public Schools is nonpartisan, we recognize that the outcome of the election has and will continue to spark instances of racism, homophobia, and sexism in school communities across the nation and state, including here in Hopkins," Dr. Mhiripiri-Reed said in the letter.

SOURCE: KARE 11