Before spring break, students at Kennewick, Washington’s Desert Hills Middle School (DHMS) gathered for an assembly in the school’s gymnasium to participate in a fundraising competition that was seen on camera. Attendees were horrified to watch pupils competing against staff in a face-to-face relay to determine who could lick milk off a plexiglass divider the quickest, despite the participants’ evident excitement.
Over the applause of others, the audible distaste of students in the audience could be clearly heard, with one declaring, “That’s actually so gross!” as another person yelled, “What the heck?”
“Who had the bright idea that this would work?” In the video, someone spoke as others yelled, “Eww!”
When asked about her daughter’s response to the exhibit with sexual overtones by a local NBC station, April Jordan said, “If 12-year-olds can understand that then…yeah, it’s a little concerning that I’m trusting those people with my kid who can’t even make that decision on their own.”
Another mother confessed to conservative radio personality Jason Rantz, “When I first saw the video I was mortified.” “The behaviour of the trusted adults in the room was appalling in its utter lack of morality. The principal laughing and then taking out his phone to record or take photographs of the happenings made me even more angry.
She said that rather than defending our children and stopping the game, he seemed to be fully enjoying it.
The viral video purported to show DHMS Principal Casey Grant, who issued a statement saying, “On behalf of Desert Hills Middle School, I would like to apologise for the action that took place at our recent assembly. I accept responsibility for the things that happen in my building as building principle, and I am aware of the effects this circumstance has had on our school community. Because I care deeply about the security of our children and employees, I’ll make sure that all upcoming events uphold district policy and the very highest levels of professionalism. I sincerely regret both the occurrence of this event and the harm it caused to the Desert Hills neighbourhood.
In a letter to parents, district superintendent Dr Traci Pierce similarly said that the activity did not meet the high expectations set out in district policy for our staff members. The district is presently looking into the matter since the substance of a video being posted on social media is quite worrying.
She promised that “corrective measures” were being taken and said that “this activity does not have district approval and will never be repeated in the future,” but she did not go into greater detail because of “confidentiality with respect to personnel matters.”
