Four South Carolina teenagers are not allowed to return to their high school over a controversial video mocking the death of George Floyd.
The video was posted on TikTok and appears to show one student dressed in a police costume placing their knee on the neck of a second student who is lying on the ground. The second student is handcuffed behind their back and begins to shake as the camera pans away.
Another student is seen in the background of the video as the fourth filmed.
The students involved attend White Knoll High School in Lexington. The district said in a statement Wednesday that the video was created at a home off-campus, but "the unacceptable and disturbing actions of these students negatively impact their school and all of our students."
“Over the last few years, White Knoll High’s staff and students have worked collectively toward bringing people together. This incident highlights that we still have work to do. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring all of our students and staff respect and learn from each other," School principal Ted Daughtery said.
Greg Little, the superintendent of Lexington School District One, also addressed the incident.
“Racism, in any form, will not be tolerated by our students or staff and will be addressed immediately,” he said in a statement.
Floyd, a Black man, died in May 2020 after former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine and a half minutes while Floyd said he couldn't breathe and went limp. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted in April of second- and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.