A school district in Texas took the rather drastic step of re-possessing the entire stock of the annual school yearbook because of a maliciously adapted caption underneath the school’s cheerleading photo.
As reported by Dallas-Fort Worth TV network WFAA, the Irving Independent School District decided to take all 300 Irving (Texas) High yearbooks printed back into its possession after it discovered that the name of one of the school’s cheerleaders had been replaced with the phrase “Ugly Hoe.” The school told WFAA that only 12 yearbooks had been distributed when the mistake was discovered.
The district has already made it clear that they will punish whoever is eventually uncovered as the culprit of the incident, which they have deemed a drastic act of bullying, with a full investigation launched shortly after the error was discovered.
"Our educators have hearts and concern for the students, so immediately our concern is for that student and her well being, and to make sure we get this problem corrected as quick as possible," Irving school district spokesperson Leslie Weaver told WFAA.
Meanwhile, attempts to limit the photo’s exposure were undercut by social media, with the shot quickly circulated by students on their Twitter accounts and Facebook pages.
Adding to the district’s issues are the need to replace the 300 books which were repossessed, not to mention that the yearbook’s staff -- both students and faculty -- had allegedly proofed all the pages before they went to print.
For their part, the Irving students have been quick to point out that they support the cheerleader who was bullied, even as the disappointing case has received more and more attention.
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