Four California high school students are facing criticism after sharing a meme that appeared to show them posing in blackface inside an African American studies classroom.
The students, whose identities have not been released, attend San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara. In the image, their skin had been digitally darkened.
The photo appeared to imitate an AI-generated image of four young Black boys striking different poses, a picture that has circulated widely on TikTok.
The post carried the caption, “Meet the gc🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷…” The ninja emoji has been used online as a reference to a racial slur against Black people.
San Marcos High School Principal Dare Holdren said the students had “portrayed blackface” and confirmed that the school had imposed consequences. He shared the information with parents in a letter sent Friday.
Holdren said the image was reported to administrators through the school’s Safe to Speak Up system roughly two weeks earlier, adding that the administrative team acted quickly.
Because the image continued spreading among students and had affected members of the school community, Holdren said school leaders believed it was necessary to address the incident publicly.
The school contacted the students’ families and began working with them to understand the consequences of their conduct, he said. “Racial stereotypes are harmful and have no place in our schools,” Holdren wrote.
He added that intent does not erase impact, and that students must recognize how their words, images and actions can affect other people.
The teenagers have not been publicly identified, and the specific disciplinary measures taken by the school remain unclear.
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San Marcos High School is part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District. Superintendent Hilda Maldonado also condemned the post, saying the incident caused real harm.
“Blackface has a long history of dehumanizing and humiliating Black people,” Maldonado told Noozhawk. “What happened was harmful.”
She said the incident could leave Black students, employees and families—as well as anyone who has experienced being treated as an outsider—wondering whether they will be judged by their skin color instead of their humanity.
“No child or staff member should have to carry that feeling into school,” Maldonado said. The district has faced other allegations and incidents involving racism in recent years.
Last year, a substitute teacher at San Marcos High School reportedly read the n-word aloud during a lesson on Of Mice and Men, despite being instructed not to use it. The substitute was subsequently removed from campus.
At a June 9 community meeting, residents and students said racial tensions and concerns remained present at the school.
“Black students do not feel safe here, and I have personally lost friends who moved away because of it,” one student told attendees.
Maldonado said the district would continue working toward a more inclusive school environment.
She acknowledged that no single statement, classroom lesson or program could transform the culture overnight.
“This is not a one-and-done issue,” Maldonado said. “But I can promise that we will keep listening, learning, examining ourselves and continuing this work.”