CHANDLER, Ariz. - After a month-long investigation and public debate, the Chandler Unified School District decided not to discipline five eighth-grade boys seen yelling a racial slur on Snapchat.
"Just because language is offensive does not give government -- and in this case a school district -- the right to limit speech," CUSD Superintendent Camille Casteel said at a press briefing.
Public outcry for discipline has been well documented since the video went viral over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
"I was offended. I was offended and appalled by the words," Casteel said while reiterating the district's stance on the video.
Casteel said the decision essentially comes down to legality.
CUSD does not believe they have the right to punish students for something they did in the privacy of their own homes. Many parents are calling for discipline under the district's cyberbullying policy, but Casteel said, "We could not find any evidence that these young men had intended their speech to reach the campus and antagonize, bully or intimidate students at San Tan Junior High."
Casteel went on to say the five teenage boys pictured yelling the racial slur did not know they were being recorded, therefore they did not intend to bully anyone. Many parents have said they will continue to pack board meetings if no punishment is handed down, and the next meeting is on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
