Kennewick Washington’s Desert Hills Middle School is in hot water after a disgusting “activity” was filmed by a student and posted to social media.
During a recent fundraiser held in the school’s gym, teachers and students were filmed licking marshmallow cream off of plexiglass panels.
Sprays of aerosolized marshmallow cream were placed on both sides of the plexiglass divider, with teachers and students competing against one another to see who could lick their side of the marshmallow cream clean.
Once one spray of marshmallow cream was successfully licked off, the game was reset with new students and teachers. The new set of “players” attempted to lick whatever remained on same side from which other “contestants” had just walked away.
Sometimes a male teacher is seen paired up with a male student. Other times a female teacher “competes” against a male student. Desert Hills Middle School students are between the ages of ten to 14-years-old.
At one point an adult male, assumed to be part of the faculty, steps up to help hold the plexiglass panel down on the table because the female teacher wearing boots and glasses almost knocks the entire thing over with her aggressiveness.
In the clip that has been shared all across different social media platforms, you can hear the student filming audibly disgusted by the school-hosted activity.
“Eww! That is so gross! What the heck?” one middle school student can be heard saying. “I’m gonna throw up!”
“That is so gross! That looks so weird! It looks so wrong!” the student continues in total shock. Another student can be heard saying, “I don’t think this was a good idea.”
It’s baffling that the children immediately saw the issue with the competition, yet the adult teachers did not.
Staff members can be seen filming the event from cell phones just off to the side of the gym.
The digital town square had mixed reactions. Some parents felt the criticism of the video was too harsh, while others called the incident itself involved “groomers & pedophiles.”
The Facebook page named Wake Up WA State posted the clip and expressed disgust for the event.
“Desert Hills Middle School in Kennewick, WA. I don’t care what fundraiser this was for. You couldn’ve done ANY THING [sic] besides this. There should be zero reason for teachers/adults to be interacting with students/children like this.”
The Kennewick School District released a statement via email following the clip’s appearance on social media sites saying they disavow the event entirely and that they would be addressing the situation.
Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce sent a comment to all families of DHMS students saying, “This activity does not have district approval and will never be repeated in the future,” proving that the school board had no idea the incident was being planned by middle school staff members.
In a later statement released by Superintendent Pierce, she vowed to investigate.
“This activity does not reflect the high standards we hold for our staff members as outlined in district policy. The content of a video being shared on social media is highly concerning, and the situation is currently being investigated by the district. We appreciate all those who have expressed their concern, and we can assure you we are taking appropriate actions to address the situation.”
After a short district-wide investigation into the inappropriate competition held at Desert Hills, the school district found it to be “innocent and not ill-intended.” The Principal of DHMS, Casey Grant, issued the following statement:
“On behalf of Desert Hills Middle School, I would like to apologize for the activity that took place during our recent assembly. As building principal, I take ownership of the events that occur in my school, and I recognize the impact that this situation has had on our school community. I am committed to the safety of our students and staff and will ensure that all future activities meet the highest professional standards and adhere to district policy. Again, I apologize that this incident occurred and for the negativity brought to the Desert Hills community.”
The school district has said they wouldn’t be able to comment any further on the investigation, citing privacy reasons.
