A 56-second social-media video showing Mid-Pacific Institute students using hate speech and making references to various forms of sexual assault has led the administration to take disciplinary action, the school confirmed Friday.
In the video forwarded anonymously to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 11 students who appear to be members of the Mid-Pacific baseball team give responses to a question voiced by a male off camera: “If you had one superpower, what would it be, and why?”
The students’ responses include apparently joking references to sexual assault, rape, disability, slavery, pedophilia and bestiality, and at least two uses of a racial slur. Some students smile or make faces during their comments, while others use deadpan expressions, and reactions of laughter sometimes can be heard in the background.
Each speaker shown is dressed in a gray shirt or jacket with a green Mid- Pacific logo indicating their participation in school baseball. It includes some segments that appear to have been taped on the campus in Manoa and others shot in at least one private home.
The video’s caption read, “game day question pt 3” (sic), suggesting that the montage was part of a series. The Instagram account it appeared to have been posted on could not be located Friday.
In response to a Star- Advertiser request for details and comments, the school sent a statement:
“A video including hate speech and other injurious conduct was forwarded to Mid-Pacific administration Thursday morning. The content of the video is shocking and in direct conflict with Mid-Pacific’s values and commitment to student safety,” the statement said.
“The incident was immediately investigated. The school is taking appropriate disciplinary action and following procedures in accordance with our school code of conduct. Incidents of student misconduct are taken seriously, and we use clear and consistent procedures to attend to it.”
The school did not provide answers to questions about such details as the types of consequences, how many students would be disciplined or what steps the school would take to prevent more cases.
A letter sent this week to Mid-Pacific families by school President Paul Turnbull said in part, “The safety and well- being of our students are our top priority and our commitment to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all members of our community is constant. Hate speech or other injurious conduct are examples of actions that are in direct misalignment to our commitment to the well-being of our students.”
