Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District investigating black face paint incident at FFA event
SANTA YNEZ, Calif.– The Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District is investigating an incident in which a student appeared to be wearing black face paint at an on-campus Future Farmers of America event.
The district superintendent said it happened last week.
NewsChannel 3-12 initially received a news-tip from a concerned parent who saw a photo that appeared to depict a male student wearing black face paint with white marks.
A Santa Ynez Union High School teacher told News Channel 3-12 that the incident happened during an FFA animal-themed Halloween party featuring a face paint station.
The teacher said he alerted the principal about what happened after students voiced concerns.
The Santa Ynez Union High School District Superintendent said the incident was being investigated.
The superintendent provided a statement to News Channel 3-12, saying:
"We are aware of an incident that occurred at a Future Farmers of America meeting that involved a face-painting activity where students were painting each other’s faces like animals. During the activity, one student's face was painted with black and white face paint in a manner that raised some concerns. We take these situations very seriously, are continuing to investigate and will take appropriate corrective action. We understand that situations like this, regardless of motivation, can fray at the fabric of our community and that as educators, these situations also represent powerful learning opportunities for our staff and students."
Santa Ynez Union Valley High School Principal Michael Niehoff sent the following statement to the community:
"We are aware of an incident that occurred at a Future Farmers of America (FFA) meeting that involved a face-painting activity where students were painting each other’s faces like animals. During the activity, one student's face was painted with black, red and white face paint in a manner that raised some concerns. We take these situations very seriously, are continuing to investigate, and will take appropriate corrective action. We understand that situations like this, regardless of motivation, can fray at the fabric of our community and that as educators, these situations also represent powerful learning opportunities for our staff and students."
