Girls in 'misconstrued' KKK photo file lawsuit
CHICAGO — Six Barrington High School students who appeared in a photo labeled “KKK” that ignited a social media firestorm over the summer are suing the school district for defamation.
A hearing on the case is scheduled for federal court Monday.
The controversial picture, widely circulated on the internet, depicted eight smiling white teenage girls dressed in white shirts, raising their hands over their heads in an ambiguous gesture. The image was captioned with the letters “KKK” — the initials of the girl hosting the party — and posted to social media, according to the lawsuit.
“After the photo was uploaded, another student misconstrued the initials for a reference to the Ku Klux Klan, and tweeted out the photo with a call to involve (Barrington High School) and to induce punishment,” the court documents say.
The photo was retweeted and shared thousands of times, with some in cyberspace interpreting the girls' gestures as mimicking Ku Klux Klan hoods. Officials at Barrington Community School District 220 were inundated with demands to take action against the girls.
The lawsuit, filed in August on behalf of six of the girls by their parents, seeks unspecified damages. An attorney representing the girls and their parents did not immediately return phone calls.
Court documents said the photo was shot off-campus at the home of one of the girls during a party that had a “white out” theme, meaning that those attending were supposed to dress in whitecolored clothing. The school has also held similarly themed events, according to media reports.
“The ' white out' theme related exclusively to attire, and the party itself was attended by students of various races and ethnicities, including African-Americans,” the lawsuit says.
In a written statement issued when the photo began circulating in July, Superintendent Brian Harris said the district “does not condone the actions of the students in the photo and the matter is under investigation. Once the investigation is complete, we will determine the appropriate consequences, according to our student handbook and board policy.”