ALEDO, Texas — One student said he would pay only $1 for his classmate because he didn’t like his hair. Another said he’d pay $100 to purchase a different student in a Snapchat group labeled “Slave Trade.” 

What You Need To Know

  • Aledo High School ninth graders set up a Snapchat labeled "Slave Auction"

  • The students bid on their Black classmates

  • The district started an investigation that involved law enforcement

  • The district did not specify what discipline the students received, nor did it release any information about how many students were involved in the incident

The Aledo ninth graders who set up a fake slave auction on social media — where they pretended to buy and sell their Black classmates — have been punished by Aledo ISD. But parents and activists say their behavior is yet another example of the systemic racism Black and brown students face every day in the wealthy town just west of Fort Worth.

The Aledo Independent School District learned of an incident where students at the Daniel Ninth Grade Campus cyberbullied and harassed other students based on their race, according to a statement from Superintendent Dr. Susan Bohn. The district started an investigation that involved law enforcement.

Leaders of Progressives in Parker County, a group of activists who organized a notable protest against a Confederate statue housed at the Weatherford courthouse, said they were upset that the district was initially trying to whitewash the incident.

“Aledo called it 'cyber bullying,' not a hate crime, until they were called out on their handling,” a social media post reads.

Social media erupted after the incident was made public, with various people decrying the auction as “sad but predictable,” and “proof that Aledo is the most racist town in America.”

The district did not specify what discipline the students received, nor did it release any information about how many students were involved in the incident.

“There is no room for racism or hatred in the Aledo ISD, period,” Superintendent Dr. Susan K. Bohn said in the statement. “Using inappropriate, offensive and racially charged language and conduct is completely unacceptable and is prohibited by district policy.”

In a letter sent to parents the week of April 5, Principal Carolyn Ansley wrote that “an incident of cyberbullying and harassment” led to conversations about how inappropriate and hurtful language can impact others.

The district spoke with all the students involved, as well as their parents, and “made it clear that statements and conduct that targets a student because of his or her race is not only prohibited but also has a profound impact on the victims,” Bohn said in the statement.

“This incident has caused tremendous pain for the victims, their families, and other students of color and their families, and for that we are deeply saddened,” the statement said.