Colorado headteacher resigns after students caught ‘reenacting murder of George Floyd in school parking lot’

Rachael Ayers, the principal of Mead High School in Colorado, has stepped down after students reportedly reenacted George Floyd’s murder on school grounds

The headteacher of Mead High School in Colorado, pictured, has stepped down after a group of students were reportedly photographed reenacting the murder of George Floyd in the school’s parking lot (Google Maps)

The headteacher of a high school in Colorado has stepped down weeks after students allegedly wore black face to re-enact the murder of George Floyd on school grounds and posted it on SnapChat.

Rachael Ayers, principal of Mead High School, in Longmont, outside Denver, announced her resignation from the school where she had worked for 12 years, in a letter to parents, in the aftermath of the viral photo, as reported by The Longmont Times-Call. 

Two weeks ago, a photo surfaced of three students allegedly re-enacting the death of Mr Floyd, who suffocated to death under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis in May last year, sparking worldwide protests on racial injustice.

The SnapChat photo appeared to show two students kneeling on a third in blackface who lies face-down on the ground in the school parking lot with the caption “bye bye seniors”, whilst several other students watch on.

The pupils, who have not been named, were reportedly suspended for a week.

At the time Mrs Ayers, a mother of two whose work page calls her a “Wyoming girl with a heart in Colorado”, said in a message to parents: “We take this type of conduct very seriously and have begun an investigation into the matter.”

Mrs Ayers’ resignation came after the local chapter of The NAACP urged the school to address the matter.

A Change.Org petition urging the school to address racial profiling has been signed by more than 9,000 people.

“Having such students recreate a humiliating death is disgusting,” the petition reads. “They have dishonoured themselves and the name [of] our school.”

One former student tweeted that theory were “truly embarrassed to have graduated from here and these students don’t represent what Mead stands for”.

In a letter to parents St. Vrain Valley School District Superintendent Don Haddad, who called the incident “disgusting”, said: “I want to thank her for her lengthy service to the Mead High community for the past 12 years as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, and I wish Mrs. Ayers the very best in her future endeavours.”

He added that she was succeeded by Brian Young, the principal at Frederick High, who will host student and community meetings to “discuss advancing student success and achievement with a focus on a safe and inclusive school environment and culture for every student, teacher, staff and community member”.