Students Hung Black Clay Figure In Art Class: Northfield Middle School

NORTHFIELD, MN — Northfield Public Schools sent out a message Friday about a "racist action" at Northfield Middle School earlier that day.

According to the school's principal, Greg Gelineau, and the district's superintendent, Matt Hillmann, a group of students hung a black figure made out of clay from the ceiling light in art class.

"A teacher noticed this quickly and immediately removed it," the message said. "We estimate that the clay figure was hanging on the light for approximately three minutes. We do not believe that many, if any, other students saw the clay figure hanging from the light."

The students are being held accountable, facing consequences outlined in the student citizenship handbook, officials said. Hillmann told Patch that he cannot disclose the specific punishment given to the students due to The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.

The class had been working on a stop-motion video project and were making clay figures for it, school officials said. The black clay figure was wearing a white hat that could appear to be a hood, according to the message.

"The Northfield School District is committed to a safe learning environment," the message said. "A safe learning environment is unequivocally anti-racist. Like other schools and communities across the country, we have also been investigating reports of racist language this school year at NMS. These incidents demonstrate the need for continued focus on this vital work for our school and community culture."

Read the full message here.