Fourteen High School Students Disciplined for Racist and Anti-Gay Senior Picnic Prank

A group of students at a high school in California are being disciplined following a racist and homophobic prank shared on social media.

About 14 students from Escondido High School in Escondido, California, were disciplined after photos of students wearing a T-shirt that spelled out a racial expletive and an anti-gay slur at a senior picnic circulated on social media, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The students in the photograph containing the racial expletive, the anti-gay slur and the photographer, are being disciplined for their actions, according to the publication.

The high school released a statement following the incident on the school's Facebook page on Friday. The statement notes that the students "made a poor decision to participate in an activity that is not aligned with Escondido High School's culture, values or history."

"We are a campus that prides itself on inclusion and embraces diversity. We will not tolerate actions that send messages of racism and promote divisiveness. We will work with students, as well as staff, to ensure a respectful and safe environment is maintained throughout our campus," principal Adriana Lepe-Ramirez said. "We all need to understand the power of our words and actions, and we must take responsibility for the decisions we make every day. At Escondido High School we will continue to work every day to build a culture of family and unity across our community."

The school said the school district "has been working alongside the Escondido Police Department and others to conduct a thorough review of this incident."

In a follow-up statement on Friday, Lepe-Ramirez wrote on Facebook that the students were receiving consequences for their actions, stating that the school believes "the lessons to be learned need to, and can, far exceed a period of punishment."

"Our school community, along with alumni, families, fellow schools and others are sharing in this pain. Together, we have begun the process of educating all on the implications and power of one's actions and decisions," the statement read. "This will be a continuing process and I will provide updates throughout the year."

In August, activists in California released a video of two high school students from C.K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento, California, in blackface and using racial slurs. The 9-second video, which was originally posted on Facebook by the Black Lives Matter Sacramento chapter, shows a female and a male student saying things like "I don't think this bird likes n*****" and "Hi, n*****."

"It's disgusting when we get these types of incidents in our schools," Tanya Faison, the founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, previously told Newsweek. "Our kids should not be going through these types of situations."

The video prompted an investigation by the Sacramento Unified School District.