Iowa City West High School students shocked by racist social media posts

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Students at Iowa City West High School say they called off a protest Friday due to the potential threat of violence. The protest followed two racist social media posts posted by students over the weekend.

Iowa City Schools Superintendent Matt Degner said one of the posts included a student appearing in blackface. He said the other was threatening racially motivated violence using a racially insult.

Joseph Polyak, a senior at West High, says he was shocked when he saw the messages.

“Not shocked in the way of” Oh my God, how could this have happened? “But even more, oh you are actively saying this, why are you doing that, it’s very wrong,” he told TV-9.

Polyak and many other students have asked the school board to take care of these positions.

“I would like the board to do more when it comes to tackling cases of racism within the school district,” Polyak said.

Charlie Eastham, a member of the Iowa City school board, says leaders recognize the problems.

“My reaction was a deep disturbance on my part as I did nothing in the last two years that I was a member of the board, I did not do enough to resolve the issues they raised” , he said.

Some students also brought up what they called a culture of enduring racism at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

“What is happening to them and to other students in the district is real, genuine and scary,” Eastham said.

Other students have planned protests. They were holding signs saying “Black Lives Matter” and demanding changes within the school district.

“I have a feeling that if they hadn’t taken these steps to protest and make their voices heard, they might have been swept under the rug,” Polyak said.

The school board said it plans to further address issues of racism at school at its next meeting on November 23.

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