The photo depicting a student kneeling on a classmate’s neck and head, in the manner of the so-called “George Floyd challenge,” recently surfaced on social media, causing outrage in the local community.

The viral “George Floyd Challenge” is a social media trend that began last year on Snapchat in which individuals reenact Floyd’s death.

The school district immediately spoke out against the actions depicted in the photo in a Facebook post, calling it “racially and culturally insensitive.”

While the district cannot comment on student disciplinary matters because of confidentiality, Superintendent Dr. Lynda Weller told exploreVenango.com that the district is taking the issue seriously.

“As educators, we feel it is important to work with families, utilizing available resources to educate and counsel students on such issues, in addition to providing consequences,” Weller said.

“Every Student…Every Day is the mission statement of the Oil City Area School District and that includes when students make poor choices. It is our hope that with cooperation and assistance from the family, any student making similar poor choices can learn, grow, and be a better person moving forward,” Weller continued.

According to Weller, the district is also working with local victim service and violence prevention program PPC Violence Free Network to educate students in a variety of ways, including incorporating “Choose Love for Schools,” a Character Social-Emotional Development program for kindergarten to twelfth-grade students in all district schools.

“Of course, we are certainly open to the consideration of suggested options to assist us in teaching tolerance and inclusivity.”