Several students in the Lower Merion and Upper Darby school districts received racist text messages similar to those received by people in several other states.
The messages, reportedly received by dozens of Black people throughout the country, state that "executive slaves" will pick up recipients in a van and take them to the "nearest plantation" to pick cotton. They state that people will be searched and assign them to a lettered group.
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Nearly identical texts have been sent to people in Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. since Wednesday. It's not clear who is sending the messages, but some of the anonymous numbers appear to be tied to an app that allows people to send messages through untraceable numbers.
"The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted," Lower Merion acting Superintendent Megan Shafer said in a letter to parents. "While the source of these messages has not been determined, we want to unequivocally state that racist language is unacceptable in our schools and will not be tolerated."
Lower Merion said at least six middle school students received the texts and that township police have been notified. Three Upper Darby ninth graders — all girls — received messages, which came from two non-active numbers generated through an app, the Delco Times reported. Two students at West Chester University also received texts, 6ABC reported.
Upper Darby Principal Craig Parkinson said "the post contains content that does not align with our school's values of respect, inclusivity and civil discourse. We are taking this matter seriously and addressing it promptly, as we have contacted our local police department."
The school districts recommended students who received the messages reach out to counselors or principals. Lower Merion also shared resources for talking to children about difficult issues.
The FBI's Philadelphia office and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said they are aware of the texts and are investigating the matter with the help of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission and other federal authorities.
NAACP President CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement that the texts are the "unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate."
Some of the messages received by people across the country referenced President-elect Donald Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's election, the New York Times reported.
Johnson said the racist messages should not be normalized.
"These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results," Johnson said.
