Stock Photo – Fanfare Drum(Photo: flySnow / iStockphoto Getty Images)

SNELLVILLE, Georgia. – A racial insult by a high school fanfare in Georgia seems to have been planned and executed by a group of students, according to the director.

Director William Ford sent a letter to parents and the community on Monday detailing the results of an investigation into racial insults by members of the Brookwood High School band during Friday's parade at halftime.

Ford said three of the students, each elder, had planned and executed the incident, while a fourth student, a student, had apparently participated in the incident "at the last minute".

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"However, the four students knew what was going to happen and what they were saying during the halftime show," Ford said.

Two of the students involved were African American, one Asian and the fourth Hispanic. All four told the administrators that they heard the incident as a joke.

"One they thought was funny," Ford said. "However, they acknowledged that they knew that this racist term was not acceptable."

In addition to the four students directly involved in the incident, two other students provided false information to school officials and will be punished, as well as the four directly involved in the incident.

"As you all know, it's not what we are – Brookwood is proud to be an inclusive and tolerant school community," Ford said in his letter. "It's a learning time for all of us, and students should be aware that their actions and words have consequences."

In Ford's initial letter Saturday, he apologized for the racial insults made by the group members during the half-time show.

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According to Ford's Saturday letter, the sousaphone covers that would normally have covered the instrument bells spell out the word "BRONCOS" that are worn in the stands but are normally removed on the ground. Ford explains that this is due to the fact that they protect the sound and that the musicians move during the half-time show so as not to end up in the same order they would find themselves at the same time. were in the stands. The photos circulating on social media seem to show students spell "c ***" with the cover of the instrument.

He also stated that the director of the band was not on the ground at the time. The Sousaphone players did not follow the rules of the group and left their covers on their instruments.

"Unfortunately, while they were playing and moving in the field, the letters of the instruments were lined up to form a totally unacceptable and racial term." The appearance of this term during our half-time show has has been hurtful and disrespectful to audience members, but disappointing because it does not reflect the standards and beliefs of our school and our community, "Ford said.

Ford said the school is taking steps to ensure that the type of incident does not happen again. He also stated that disciplinary measures were being taken against students involved in the incident.

"We are concerned about this situation and we are determined to take steps to ensure that this does not happen again, in addition to reviewing our half-time procedures, we will also initiate disciplinary action with the students involved," said Ford. .

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Ford said that instead of waiting until Monday, he had sent the letter to parents and the community on Saturday, saying it was important to contact his community as soon as possible to make sure that they knew this situation was taken seriously.

School officials in Gwinnett County said that, as the incident is still under investigation, they had no additional comment at this stage.

Follow Michael King on Twitter: @mhking

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