Students who attend St. Paul is among those who received texts containing hate speech this week, according to district officials.

The district issued a statement on Friday:

“SPPS is deeply saddened and disgusted by these messages and the harm they have caused to the students who were unfortunate enough to receive them,” the statement read. “Hate speech has no place in our schools or our communities.”

In a message to principals, the district noted that the incidents were referred to the St. Louis Police Department. Paul and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

“If any of your students receive texts involving hate speech, please contact ECC immediately and advocate for the student at the school level,” the message said. District officials are “fully investigating this situation and would like to reiterate that no form of hate speech will be tolerated within Saint Paul Public Schools. We will not allow anyone to disrespect a student or staff member. We stand with all our students and staff, who are so vital to our school community.”

Racist messages reported in other states

There were several federal, state and local authorities investigating racist text messages sent this week to black college and high school students in several states that included messages about being “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office had reports of text messages received by Minnesotans.

“The text messages that were shared with my office are disturbing, threatening and have no place in our society,” the statement said. “My mission is to make sure every Minnesotan can live with dignity, safety and respect, and I have zero tolerance for harassment and hate. I strongly encourage anyone in Minnesota who has received one of these messages to file a complaint with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office using our online form.”

State Department of Education officials said they did not know how widespread the incidents were in Minnesota, but were providing “resources to schools looking to support their students, families and staff.”

Macalester College officials, in a statement to staff and students, said they had not received any reports from their campus. They provided a community space for Black students, staff, and faculty on Friday lunches, as well as other resources.

“I got mad and angry instantly”

Tawonda Burks woke up Thursday morning to a text message she received overnight. It came from a Twin Cities number, she said, included her full name, and was obviously mean.

“I got angry and instantly upset,” she said. “I’m still trying to understand, did someone really send me this message? Who and why and for what reason?

Burks, who recently ran for office, questioned whether she was targeted individually.

“That was my first thought, because of the campaign, who knows, right? But then I realized that when I shared it on social media, seeing that other people were posting it, I was like, “OK, so this was to other people.” “

Throughout the day, she saw more and more posts on social media about similar messages that others had received nationwide.

After receiving the text, she reported it to the Rochester branch of the NAACP. Burks said the timing of the text messages, a day after the election, is troubling. She ran for the Olmsted County Board, but lost the race Tuesday.

“I’m still accepting it, but the one thing I will say is that I’m proud of who I am as an individual, as a person of color, and as a woman. I’ve always been raised to have what I would call thick skin – meaning I can hear something, it’s in one ear out the other and I don’t let it get too personal. But I feel like that’s enough, right? It’s too much,” she said.