Coxsackie-athens district apologizes for Facebook post

COXSACKIE — The Coxsackie-athens Central School District said it will review its social media policies after coming under fire for a Facebook post that sparked criticism from users who saw it as racially insensitive.

At the center of the controversy is a post published on the district’s official Facebook page by an employee last month that showcased three students posing with a snowman made from dirty snow. It was accompanied by the caption: “This snowman is just as diverse as our students.”

The now-deleted post quickly drew hundreds of comments from community members who believed the district was referring to the filthiness of the snowman as representing students of color.

Superintendent Randall Squier apologized for the incident in a prepared statement posted on the district’s website Jan. 31. “The word ‘diverse’ was used to describe how every kid can make a snowman differently and this variety of creativity should be celebrated. When it was commented that this post could be interpreted about race the post was taken down,” the message begins.

Squier went on to say the post was never intended to be hurtful and asked for people to respect the privacy of the families involved as the screenshots of the post continue to circulate online.

A second message was posted on the district’s website on Thursday, which included a video update from Squier noting that the post was taken down within 15 minutes after comments suggested its insensitivity. Once deleted, Squier said he immediately began investigating the matter with the help of the school district’s attorneys.

He recommended that in the wake of the controversy, the district accelerates the timeline of training for employees focused on “making sure everyone feels and believes they belong in our schools,” implements a two-step approval process for social media platforms and limits comments on posts.

“I am sorry for the heartache this post has caused our students, staff, parents and community. We ask for our school community to provide us grace as we continue our work in meeting the needs of and fostering growth for all learners,” Squier added in the statement.

Fox 5 New York first reported news of the district’s public apology earlier this month.