OTTAWA HILLS, Ohio — Officials at Ottawa Hills School District are investigating after a racist slur was briefly displayed on a screen at the district's junior/senior high school Monday.
Superintendent Adam Fineske said a student cast a message from the online chat forum Discord onto a screen in a communal learning space called the Foundry.
Other students noticed the slur on the area's large projector screen, as did a supervisor who began looking for the source of the image, according to a letter sent home to Ottawa Hills parents.
Building administrators and technology department staff began an investigation, the letter said.
Fineske said Wednesday that the student who projected the racist slur has been caught and punished.
"When these types of incidents happen, we move right to very severe discipline. And this student will go through some of that, but we're also going to have the student learn from it. And do some experiences to be able to reflect, and learn about, even though there wasn't anything malicious or a threat, the impact that word has in our world today, that needs to be a learning experience for this student and others," said Fineske.
"The 'n-word' has no place in our school or community and the use of any racist or derogatory language directly threatens our efforts to create a lifelong sense of belonging and undermines our efforts to foster a safe, positive, just and welcoming school environment for students, staff, faculty and volunteers," Principal Ben McMurry wrote in a letter to parents.
School board vice president Adam Smidi said Wednesday the entire incident is a painful step backward for the school.
"Like, this bothers me so much. Let me just say that, in my mind, in my opinion, this is a zero-tolerance thing," said Smidi.
It's a sentiment that stems from experience. As a Muslim and first-generation American, Smidi said he's no stranger to being on the receiving end of racism during his own high school years.
"I remember, especially post 9/11, me and my friends we're really struggling to go out in public and were unsure of what would happen," said Smidi.
A feeling he hopes no student at Ottawa Hills ever has to experience. That's why for the last two years, Smidi has been working with the school to further develop their DEI, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, encouraging more positive outcomes between Ottawa Hills' increasingly diverse population.
Smidi said so far the reception to the program has been warm.
"I do feel like we've made some steps in the right direction. Surveys, conversations with parents," said Smidi.
In fact, in the Fall of 2022, Ottawa Hills' most recent survey showed a majority of students and staff do feel a sense of belonging within the school.
Smidi said he worries that incidents like this alienate minority members of the community. But he insists this was an isolated incident and he will continue to work his hardest to make sure everyone feels safe at school.
"Me personally, I care very deeply about this, and as long as I'm a board member on Ottawa Hills, this is what my focus is," said Smidi.
Smidi said he would like to see clear district-wide hate speech rules, so students and parents can see in writing the punishments for racism moving forward.
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