UPDATE: Killeen ISD officials say an investigation into the matter by campus administrators in Harker Heights concluded that the student's notebook was never confiscated, and that the social media post claiming it had been was a hoax.

Reactions to a statement posted to Killeen ISD's Facebook page Wednesday were mixed. Some maintained that the incident was not a hoax, while others said it was time to move on from the matter. One person commented that such situations should be addressed between school personnel, parents, and students first rather than taken to social media.


Chelsea Edwards with our partners at News 10 has shared a story about a social media user, Michelle Ousley, whose Facebook post (now deleted) got Killeen talking. Accusations of unfair treatment and racism over the most basic of school supplies first surfaced on September 1st when Ousley published the statement below.

Facebook, KWTX News 10 - Story by Chelsea Edwards
Facebook, KWTX News 10 - Story by Chelsea Edwards
loading...

A few days later, Killeen ISD is suggesting that the post itself may even be fake.

It all started after a spiral notebook was reportedly confiscated by a teacher at Harker Heights High School and the student was told that particular type of notebook was not allowed in that particular teacher's classroom.

Wow. That sounds like a very special teacher who might imply that your notebook is ok for math class down the hall but it is not good enough for the class you might be in right now. And people wonder why kids don't even pay attention in class anymore.

Ousley said she bought the notebook for her goddaughter from a website known as cocoatwins.com. The site offers stationery featuring people of color. As you can see in the photo above, the cover features a girl with an Afro and a hair bow with the words "Princess University".

Ousley thought the notebook was cute and unique. News that it had been confiscated from her goddaughter was a big surprise. Ousley told news 10, “This being a military community and we are so diverse and we are so strong, we have each other’s backs."

News 10 reports Killeen ISD is working to clear up the problem. Are they? Do tell. How do we determine that a notebook is ok for one class but not another? Was the paper too large? Was it not double spaced? Or was it simply the image on the cover that this "particular teacher" didn't like.

It seems like some additional information needs to come out pretty quickly about this one. Let's look again at this statement from KISD shared Tuesday evening by News 10:

Killeen ISD contacted the person who made the post to learn more information, but they would not release the name of the student or parent involved. Despite that, campus administration did their investigation but we have been unable to verify the alleged post. We would encourage the parent to come forward to speak to the campus principal.

They seem to be saying that the post may not even be real. They call it the "alleged" post. They say they "can't verify" it. They want the parents to come speak to them about the incident.

Do you think there is anything wrong with the notebook? Should it be allowed in school?

More From KUSJ-FM