In a brief video posted to Snapchat, students in Alpine School District are heard taunting a Black student on a school bus. The video, which was first reported by Fox 13, blurred out the faces of the students involved in the incident who were jeering their classmate.

“Alpine School District quickly began an investigation upon being made aware of an incident on a school bus. We were saddened to see the video. This type of behavior will not be tolerated,” reads a statement from ASD spokesperson David Stephenson. “The District’s bullying policy and non-discrimination procedures are being followed to ensure the situation is investigated and addressed immediately. Law enforcement was contacted and has been involved in the investigation. Alpine is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment.”

The incident drew a swift response online, with many expressing disappointment and anger over the events.

On Twitter, activist and author Darlene McDonald tweeted, “has no one spoke to these kids about racism? As school districts push to ban books by Black writers, ethnic studies & SEL (social emotional learning), our Black kids suffer #utpol #utleg”

CAIR National, a Muslim civil rights organization, also tweeted condemnation for the students’ actions and offered a way forward.

“We urge #Utah County’s Alpine School District to offer students anti-racist materials and resources to students and make it clear that incidents of #racist harassment and bullying targeting students of color won’t be tolerated.”

This is not the first public reaction this school year to an incident in ASD, nor is it the first surrounding district school buses. In September, a bus driver was let go after putting signs with right-wing political messages up in a bus.

The Utah County Democratic Party also made a statement, writing, “Every child has the right to feel safe when at school, and they should be protected when they are not.”

Discussions of the incident also returned to Izzy Tichenor, the 10-year-old Black girl who died of suicide last year after racial bulling in the Davis School District, according to her mother.

“I’m not encouraged that this video will be a wake-up call because the death of a 10-year-old girl wasn’t a wake-up call,” McDonald told Fox 13.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the school district’s investigation. According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon, the office had the opportunity to view the security footage from the school bus.

Cannon said officers have spoken to the students involved and coordinated with the district. But while racial slurs were used, he said there was nothing to qualify as assault and nothing that met the level of criminal charge. Therefore, the incident is outside the purview of the sheriff’s office and any discipline must be handled by the school district, according to Cannon.

“There wasn’t even really bullying,” he said. “The initial characterization was that it was a racially motivated incident. Nobody should feel like they are being targeted for any reason because of their ethnicity.”

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