A Washington state middle school was investigated for having students and staff play a licking game that parents described as “highly vile...
A Washington state middle school was investigated for having students and staff play a licking game that parents described as “highly vile.”
Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick had minor students and adult teachers compete to lick marshmallow cream off either side of two clear plexiglass panes, a video of the incident shows. The game was held at a school pep rally on March 31.
The video shows multiple staffers and students aggressively licking up the four lines of cream sometimes with their tongues in the same spots on opposite sides of the plexiglass. At one point, an adult holds a child’s head to the glass while licking the other side. Toward the end of the video, one staffer appears to be licking the glass in a way that one parent described as “sensual.”
Students can be heard screaming, “Ew,” “That’s actually so disgusting,” “I’m going to throw up,” “That’s so gross,” “What the heck?” and “Who thought that this was a good idea?”
Mother Megan Sa’s daughter showed her the video, and Sa posted it to Facebook.
“In my opinion, we do not send our children to school to be exposed to highly sexualized behavior by adults,” Sa told Fox News. “We send them to school to learn and for them to socialize with other people their ages.”
“They shouldn’t have to sit in a gym for a school assembly and wonder, ‘What is going on?’ Schools should be a safe place for children to go and this despicable display of adult behavior was hard to watch,” the mother said.
The mom said that the principal could be seen in the video laughing and filming the scene with his phone.
The school district opened an investigation into the incident.
Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce said in a statement to families on Friday that the investigation has concluded. She called the incident “not an appropriate activity.”
“During the activity, some students felt very uncomfortable, and the activity was highly disturbing for some students, parents, families, and community members to watch on video,” Pierce said. “This activity does not have district approval and will never be repeated in the future.”
However, she added that “the intent of the activity was innocent and not ill-intended.”
“There is zero evidence to suggest or support that this was in any way ‘grooming’ activity on the part of organizers or participants,” Pierce said. “That being said, the fact that the activity was planned, occurred, and not stopped, shows a lack of sound discernment and good judgment, and the activity is not aligned with district expectations.”
Principal Casey Gant issued an apology for the activity in a statement to parents.
“On behalf of Desert Hills Middle School, I would like to apologize for the activity that took place during our recent assembly,” Gant said. “As building principal, I take ownership for the events that occur in my school, and I recognize the impact that this situation has had on our school community.”
“I am committed to the safety of our students and staff and will ensure that all future activities meet the highest professional standards and adhere to district policy,” Gant added. “Again, I apologize that this incident occurred and for the negativity brought to the Desert Hills community.”
Sa, the mother who initially brought attention to the video, said she is not satisfied with the principal’s apology, especially since no staffers were suspended or terminated.
However, contacted for comment, the school district told The Daily Wire it is “taking corrective actions to address this incident.”
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