Visalia Unified hosts roundtable talk with leaders in aftermath of photo depicting "homophobic slur"

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A group of nine leaders from Valley educators, organizers from the LGBTQ+ community, and heads of local churches met at the offices of Visalia Unified on Wednesday afternoon for a closed-door conversation centered on what the school district says is focused on strengthening community through civility, accountability, and action.

"The conversation was rich, honest. And I think there's a consensus that more of these types of meetings need to happen," said Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Tim Hire.

The action comes after a photo posted to social media earlier this month depicted a group of 10 Redwood High Senior students wearing shirts with letters and numbers that spell out what the district is calling a "hateful homophobic slur."

"We immediately connected with the school to really begin looking into what was happening; why did this happen, but really strongly come out and say this is not acceptable behavior," said Visalia Unified Superintendent Kirk Shrum.

When Action News asked what discipline the students in the photo received, this was the district's response:

"I can't really go into discipline specifically because that would be a violation of our students' rights but we do follow our code of conduct," said Shrum.

The students' conduct falls under "hate-motivated behavior" under the Visalia Unified Board Policy. The consequences led by both board policy and Ed Code 5145.9

Consequences for this type of action can include expulsion and/or suspension.

Reactions to the photo were...

"Concern for students," said Hire.

To...

"A little bit of disbelief," said Shrum.

Others, like Joseph Correia, who attended on behalf of College of the Sequoias, said he was not shocked by the hateful image.

"We have shut out DEI... Diversity, inclusion, equity. We're in an area that shuts that out, so it's not terribly surprising that something like that would happen," said Correia.

The Tulare County Superintendent of Schools believes this incident is part of a larger issue.

"I think this is a theme that many of our youth across our nation are struggling with," said Hire.

"We expect our campuses to be safe and secure for all students," said Shrum.

That includes members of the LGBTQ+ community.

"Our youth are looking towards adults to make sure some accountability is taken," said Jose Ruiz-Garcia, who helps lead youth programs at The Source LGBTQ+ Center in Visalia.

A struggle Visalia leaders hope can be addressed through conversations like Wednesday's gathering.

"Accountability is accepting that it happened. Right. We're not shying from it. We're also taking into consideration what our next steps are," said Ruiz-Garcia.

That photo is at the center of an investigation that is now complete, according to Superintendent Shrum.

The Source LGBTQ+ Center held its first of two community meetings tonight.

Visalia Unified will hold its next school board meeting on March 10th, with time allotted for public comment.

For news and weather updates, follow Christina Lopez on X and Instagram.