DULUTH — The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is demanding a response from leaders of nearby school districts after a racist and threatening Snapchat conversation between two students was shared on social media late last week.
The exchange between a student from Esko High School and another from Cloquet High included a desire for the Cloquet school to be bombed so "all natives die." It continued with other derogatory remarks about Native American people.
"We are horrified and saddened by the ignorant and racist statements of students from schools where many of our Native youth attend," Fond du Lac Chairman Kevin Dupuis Sr. wrote in a letter to the superintendents of the Esko and Cloquet school districts.
"We want to receive an immediate response from the school districts and school leadership on how you intend to address this situation, not only with the specific students involved in the incident but also with the larger student body community."
Native American students make up about 14% of the Cloquet Public Schools enrollment. Part of the Fond du Lac Reservation, which has its own K-12 school, is in Cloquet. About 1% of Esko students are Native American.
In a statement, Cloquet schools superintendent Michael Cary said the district would not tolerate racial profiling or racist or hate language. He apologized "for the harm this language has done or may do to our students, families and community."
Cary said the Snapchat exchange event "will lead to appropriate disciplinary action, individualized education targeting these racist beliefs, and restorative practices to address the harms caused by ignorance."
Esko superintendent Aaron Fischer offered a similar statement, saying the incident doesn't reflect the district's values, but the administration shares "responsibility in shaping the character of our students."