The Sioux Falls School District in South Dakota has apologized after high school students appeared dressed in Ku Klux Klan costumes during a play, saying proper performance vetting guidelines weren’t followed.
The Roosevelt High School’s performance of The Foreigner sparked outrage this weekend after student actors performed in KKK costumes. Images were soon shared on social media, igniting disgust and debate across Twitter.
What’s wrong with white people.
— SOUTHMOBB32 (@gangstagrillzup) March 6, 2019
I believe there are biases & poor choices involved here but we have to be better about not letting news outlets be “Fox News for the left”. “The Foreigner” is a play highlighting the hidden bigotry of a small town lodge in rural Georgia & the KKK characters are shown as stupid.
— Friend M. Wells (@40th_Parallel_W) March 6, 2019
WTAF pic.twitter.com/kGPaZi1UXY
— 🔥FlammablePajamas🔥 (@FlamablePajamas) March 6, 2019
I directed a production of the play, The Foreigner. It’s absolutely part of the script that the KKK raids the house where the Foreigner is staying. They are bumbling idiots & fools. It’s appropriately written & done to make a point that the KKK blindly follow racism/xenophobia.
— 🌊Molly💙 #Kamala2020 (@mollylyons) March 6, 2019
This country is def going in the wrong direction….
— Tightjumpa (@tightjumpa) March 6, 2019
Sioux Falls School District addressed the furore after concerns were raised by a local organization, Establishing Sustainable Connections, the Argus Leader reports.
“The district has guidelines in place for vetting plays and other such works and the district failed to follow those guidelines,” school district spokeswoman DeeAnn Konrad said.
“We sincerely regret this and will continue to take action in our quest to be a culturally responsive school community.”
The Foreigner is about an out-of-towner who pretends he doesn’t speak English when staying in a lodge in rural Georgia. He overhears a property inspector threatening violence from the KKK, and in the end defeats the white supremacists trying to steal property.
The play has sparked controversy in the past. In December, the ASU Preparatory Academy Phoenix in Arizona came under fire for its performance of the play, although parents said they weren’t warned about the controversial costumes beforehand.
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