A disturbing video featuring five white teens gleefully taking turns chanting a racial slur has launched an investigation in a Utah school district.
Lane Findlay, a spokesman for the Weber School District, told HuffPost that administrators at Weber High School in Pleasant View became aware of the “shocking” Instagram video on Monday night after it began making the rounds on social media.
The teens in the 10-second recording — who can be seen smiling, giggling and shouting “f**k n****rs” — are juniors and seniors, and three are cheerleaders, he said.
Findlay told HuffPost that interviews with the girls revealed the video had been recorded a year ago during a break and off school property.
One of the teens in the video shared it this week as a private post, Findlay explained. When other students at their school saw the footage, they made it public on various social media platforms and the recording went viral.
Findlay also said the girls were repeating the phrase “serggin cuff” while they recorded the video. The video was recorded in, or later uploaded to, an app that played it backward, he said, producing the racist phrase — which they opted to keep in the video that was posted.
“It doesn’t excuse their behavior in any way,” Findlay told HuffPost. “It’s still offensive and inappropriate.”
Findlay said the young women could face counseling, being kicked off the cheerleading team or expulsion from school for their actions, though no disciplinary decision has been reached yet.
“It’s being taken very seriously,” he said. “We realize it’s affected many students at the school, but we want to be fair and thorough and ask for everyone’s patience.”
He added that the school, about five miles north of Ogden, will likely reach a resolution early next week.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said the high school was in Ogden, Utah. In fact, it is in Pleasant View, north of Ogden.