New York school district blasted for saying dirty snowman is 'diverse' as our students

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A school district in New York state sparked criticism with a Facebook post showing three students standing behind a dirty snowman with a caption reading, "just as diverse as our students!" 

"Today's CE Fourth Grade Playground Fun!" Coxsackie-Athens Central School District wrote in the caption accompanying the photo.

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But the school district didn't leave just leave things there. The post continued to say the snowman, spotted with dirt and mud, is "just as diverse as our students!"

The post elicited strong reaction from users. 

"I don’t want to be compared to a dirty snowman , a snowman w mud = a black , ethnic , diverse snowman & that’s not weird to you?" one user commented under the image re-posted by someone else. "It’s a lazy & thoughtless way of trying to be "inclusive" instead of hiring more Black&/Brown staff or trying to find ways to make the Black&/Brown community more comfortable , or embrace diversity real ways , real causes of action, not just a muddy snowman & implying it’s diverse …it’s nonsensical & dehumanizing."

The Coxsackie-Athens Central School District came under fired after posting an image of three fourth graders with a dirty snowman while saying it was "just as diverse as our students!" (Coxsackie-Athens Central School District)

"So let me start by saying that just absolutely disgusting and on so many levels and I'm still confused as to why people are laughing because this is not funny by any means such racist overtures and they're not even hiding it and they're using a school platform to display it is even more disgusting," wrote another. 

Some came to the defense of the school district by pointing out the caption was referring to a snowman. 

"It's a snowman, we are taking offense to everything now! (I'm white) I don't think this is bad but maybe I'm just not seeing it," the user wrote. "We all tried to make a snowman out of school snow, not the cleanest. This is a new low butt hurt over frosty."

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The school district took down the image hours after it was posted, district Superintendent Randy Squier said in a message posted to its website. 

"The word ‘diverse’ was used to describe how every kid can make a snowman differently and this variety of creativity should be celebrated," he said. "When it was commented that this post could be interpreted about race the post was taken down."

He said the district will review its social media policies and will "continue our commitment to providing a learning environment where every person feels that they belong."