School Retouches Class Photo to Remove Racist Signals

A school has offered to retouch a senior class photo to eliminate skinhead hand signs, but only one of 415 students at an Antelope Valley high school has asked for a new picture.

Rather than shoot the photograph again, officials at Littlerock High School opted to retouch the photos to eliminate the offensive gestures, said Antelope Valley Union High School District Trustee Bill Olenick.

“Those students won’t have hands in this photograph,” Olenick said.

The students made the sign by holding their fingers up in the shape of the letter “W,” a white supremacist gang sign, said Principal Jeff Foster. Foster said the students have been disciplined, but he declined to reveal in what manner.

The controversy erupted after 17-year-old Jamie Jones, who is African American, complained that the photo was offensive. “I didn’t want that in my picture,” Jones said.

Jones took her complaints to a local newspaper after unsuccessfully attempting to get school officials to retake the photo.

To date, she is the only student who has requested a new picture, which was offered free of charge, Foster said.

She is surprised by the apathetic reaction of some classmates to her objection.

“A lot of people just don’t care,” she said.

Olenick said he found the photo “extremely offensive. This is a memento for these graduates for the rest of their lives.” He estimated the district is about 20% African American.

The Antelope Valley has been troubled by problems with white supremacist gangs, said Olenick, a Los Angeles County probation officer. He does not consider Littlerock High to be among those with severe problems.