Teen Asked to Put Noose Around Neck

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Firstcoastnews.com
Teen Asked to Put Noose Around Neck

By Lindy Thackston
First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Five students accused of creating "racial unrest" at First Coast High School are serving suspensions.

They're accused of putting a hangman's noose in a courtyard tree and telling an African-american freshman to put his head through the noose.

That 9th grader tells First Coast News he's read about things like this happening but never thought it would happen to him.

We're keeping his identity hidden, but he tells us lunch was just wrapping up when a 14-year-old girl, "grabbed my arm, telling me to come over here."

He says he was led to the courtyard where a group of white students were standing around a tree.

The teen says he could see the long, white rope hanging from a branch, and that it "looked like a hateful place right there."

He says, "She pointed at it and told me to put my head in it," and then the other students started laughing.

"As I went to go get the other kids, when we came over," he says, "there was a white boy inside of the noose and I heard another girl over there, she said, 'hey, get your head out of the noose, you're not black.'"

That's when the teen says security guards showed up, took the noose off the tree, and sent everyone back to class.

Principal Crystal Sisler says the five students claim it was a practical joke.

"They admitted what they did, they're very sorry for it, but nevertheless, they can't do those kinds of things. It's not funny."

The principal says the five students won't be expelled but could be sent to another school.

The target this "practical joke" is already back in class.

He tells First Coast News he doesn't plan to move to a different school.

First Coast News