By Waverly McCarthy
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Pictures of the Forest Hill High School halftime band performance during their game against Brookhaven High School are going viral on social media.
Many are saying the performance depicted students dressed as doctors and nurses holding SWAT team members at gunpoint.
Two Brookhaven police officers were killed in the line of duty responding to shots fired call last week.
Our band director picks our show themes not everyone is gonna like them but I don’t know why any one would pick something like this. You’d think some of the students would speak up and say something even if we had a bunch of unnecessary shootings any where. Don’t understand. Wonder if they’ll perform this a band competition
Charges should be pressed on them for bringing guns to a school event! There have been children expelled for bringing fake guns on school property! Such poor taste!
How can school officials let them do this
How was this allowed to even happen? Sick and crazy people. They should all be expelled & who ever is over them Principles & Teachers should be fired. This is uncalled for.
I demand a public apology from this band director and band members. Not written one, but come back to BHS, stand in the middle of the football field and apologize to the entire community.
I can’t even imagine what the citizens of Brookhaven must have felt. My prayers are with you all. I’m so sorry that this disgraceful band performed so inconsiderable.
We have reached out to Jackson Public Schools for a comment.
Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Errick L. Greene released a statement on Saturday.
"On behalf of the Jackson Public School (JPS) District, I want to offer my deep and sincere apologies for the performance by the Forest Hill High School band during Friday’s football half-time show in Brookhaven. Based loosely on the movie, “John Q,” the band’s performance depicted a hostage scene that included toy guns.
JPS has a great deal of respect and appreciation for our law enforcement partners. The band’s performance does not depict the values and people in our community and was incredibly insensitive to the students, families, law enforcement officials and the entire Brookhaven community. For this we sincerely apologize to all, and we pledge to do better in the future.
We have taken some initial actions in response to this matter, and you have my commitment that we will investigate it fully and take additional appropriate action with respect to procedures and personnel."
Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said he has since spoken with the Mayor of Jackson, who informed him that the Forest Hill band director has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. He added that the mayor apologized to him personally for the halftime show.
The Mayor of Jackson also released a statement regarding the performance.
“I offer my sincerest regrets to the Brookhaven community for the insensitivity that portrayed during the Friday evening halftime show. There is an active investigation into the circumstances that led to this performance," said Mayor Chokwe Lumumba. "While I do not believe that there was a malice intent on behalf of the students that participated in this halftime show, I understand that we are ultimately not defined by the things that we set out to do, but rather how we respond to the things that actually do take place. It is the responsibility of adults to offer guidance to youth. Our students should have been instructed that this was neither the time or place for that performance.”
Governor Phil Bryant took to Twitter to say someone should be held accountable.
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