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MIDDLETON, Idaho (AP) — Fourteen staff members at an Idaho school district who donned caricatured outfits depicting Mexican people and a border wall emblazoned with “Make America Great Again” have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Middleton School District superintendent Josh Middleton announced the decision Saturday at a special school board meeting.
After the announcement, the board went into executive session, which is not open to the public.
Board Chairman Tim Winkle says the costumes were part of a team building activity after school hours.
The staff members who were photographed were selected as winners of a contest to determine who could most accurately portray a country based on stereotypes, according to the Idaho Press.
Winkle said that did not excuse the actions of the staff members, the Idaho Press reported.
Photos were posted to the district’s Facebook page Thursday night and later removed, but screenshots captured the images that went viral.
Middleton is about 34 miles (55 kilometers) west of Boise, with 7,500 residents. The school district offers a migrant education program.
Contributing: Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com
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