Red Bank Elementary School administration is under fire for a Labor Day social media post that included a photo of Black children picking cotton.
"No School on 9/5; in observance of Labor Day-- Enjoy the extra day off with family or friends! Take time to discuss the labor laws that have been passed to protect American workers & that keep children learning instead of working!" said the post, which included another photo of white children working in what appears to be a factory.
Larissa Williams, whose friend is a person of color with a child attending Red Bank Elementary, said she was "really distressed" by the post.
"I understand the intent with the full caption, but the use of that photo conjures up far more than child labor laws," Williams said in an Instagram direct message. "It's also equating slavery with unsafe working conditions, which just isn't the same thing. I would expect more from an elementary school teaching in a diverse area."
Red Bank Elementary's student population was 23% Black in the 2020-21 school year, according to demographics information from the Tennessee Department of Education website.
(READ MORE: How Hamilton County Schools is combating racial disparities in literacy)
The post was removed from Instagram Aug. 27, the same day it was posted. It was removed Wednesday afternoon from Facebook, where it was also posted Aug. 27.
"This afternoon, Hamilton County Schools was made aware of a Labor Day social media post from Red Bank Elementary School that included an offensive photo," Hamilton County Schools spokesman Steve Doremus said Wednesday in an emailed statement. "The choice of a photo used in the post did not meet HCS standards and its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for all of its stakeholders. Upon learning about the post, the school was directed to remove it immediately, which they did. We apologize for the offense caused by the post and photo, and we are reviewing our internal procedures and training to prevent such an occurrence from happening again."
School principals are responsible for overseeing social media for their schools and typically assign this duty to an employee or volunteer, and the post-approval process varies by school, Doremus said by email.
"The photos for the post were chosen in an effort to give a historical perspective of child labor as it relates to Labor Day," he said. "The HCS Communications Department is working with district leadership, principals and those making social media posts to reinforce guidelines and rules for social media activity and to improve our procedures for making sure future posts meet our standards."
Red Bank Elementary principal Lindsey Hagan did not respond to a phone call Wednesday requesting comment.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.
