Trinity Student Who Wrote Racist Homecoming Sign Kicked Out

The student that created a racist homecoming dance proposal sign no longer attends Trinity High School in Manchester, according to its superintendent.

A photo of a teenage boy and girl and the poster displaying the racist dance invite was posted by Black Lives Matter Manchester co-founder Ronelle Tshiela on her Twitter account Thursday. The post identified one of the teenagers as a student at Trinity High School in Manchester. Trinity is run by the Diocese of Manchester.

The sign reads “If I was black I would be picking [cotton] but I’m white so I’m picking you for hoco?” Actual cotton is glued to the sign in place of the word cotton.

Superintendent David Thibault issued a statement Saturday about the photo, calling the "viral narrative" of a one day suspension and the student being allowed to continue participating in sports "baseless."

"The Trinity administration took action within a matter of hours of receiving an internal report of this image. Issues surrounding privacy prevent us from providing certain student information, however, the young person is no longer a student at Trinity High School," Thibault said.

"The sentiment expressed in that photo has no place in our community," the superintendent wrote.

Threats of Violence

All athletic events scheduled for the weekend were canceled due to threats of violence against the school, including Trinity's football game Friday night against the Green Wave of Dover in Manchester.

Thibault encouraged people to sit with others and to "truly listen" to what they have to say.

"Talking past one another, threats of violence, sharing of personal information, and posting of misinformation are unacceptable and must stop. Instead, let’s continue to work together to build up a community where all are treated with dignity and respect," Thibault wrote.

Thibault said there will be opportunities in the upcoming week for school-wide discussion and listening sessions. He also said the school's counseling department cares deeply for every student and is prepared to offer support.

School president Nathan Stanton told WMUR that after the school learned of the photo, the school and Diocese met, and the boy's family was called within two hours.

The girl in the photo taken out of state is not a Trinity student, Stanton told WMUR.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH