Four Tucson boys have been suspended after they took their high school spirit week too far, donning culturally offensive costumes and posing for a photo that spread widely on social media.
The Pusch Ridge Christian Academy sophomores were taking part in “Squad Day” in which students were allowed to dress creatively within a group theme.
Two of the boys involved sought permission from the private school’s principal to dress as members of US Armed Forces and were approved. Another two, without permission from the school, wore Middle Eastern garb.
At some point, the four came together and posed “in what appears very much to be an ‘execution’ scene,” said Pusch Ridge Headmaster Rev. Allen Cooney.
The two boys dressed in the Middle Eastern garb were kneeling down, held captive by the boys dressed as American soldiers.
The photo was taken by a classmate who posted the image to Snapchat. The image was screenshotted and posted to Twitter, becoming fodder there, on Facebook and among Pusch Ridge families and alumni like Josh Spegman, a 2009 graduate who got wind of the controversy where he lives in Denver after it popped up on his Facebook feed.
“Quite frankly, my first reaction was disgust and also a little bit of shock,” said Spegman, who described his experience at Pusch Ridge as positive.
In an effort to understand what happened and the circumstances, Spegman, like others who came across the image, contacted the school.
He, and others, received a response from Cooney that read in part that “the image is contrary to PRCA’s deepest values and highest beliefs” and that “the administration, faculty and staff condemn the portrayal. The parents of the boys absolutely disapprove of the scene; and, indeed, the boys regret extremely their foolishness.”
“This is not what Pusch Ridge Christian Academy stands for, teaches, or models,” Cooney added. “On the contrary, all our instruction, policies, and personal modeling seek to follow, albeit imperfectly, the example of Jesus Christ.”
The majority of Pusch Ridge students opted for costumes that were “clever, cute and original,” Cooney said, with students dressing as M&Ms, Minions, Wizard of Oz characters, members of sports teams and more.
While the school does not observe Halloween, it is reviewing guidelines for other occasions, something Pusch Ridge graduate Spegman agrees with.
“I believe this is an isolated incident but some form of community education going forward is the best way to prevent these events from happening again in the future,” he said.
What’s acceptable?
A survey of Tucson-area school districts found that costume guidelines vary by school but the following rules have been adopted by most campuses:
• No masks
• No heavy makeup
• No weapons (fake or real)
• No fake blood
• Costumes should be age-appropriate
• No provocative costumes
• No offensive costumes
Some schools, like Tanque Verde elementary campuses, do not allow children to wear costumes during the school day, instead hosting fall carnivals where dress up is allowed. Even then, they must adhere to the school dress code and masks and weapons are prohibited.
