Former faculty advisor who added ‘BLACK GUY’ to yearbook caption resigns from district
NASHVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A former faculty advisor for the yearbook at Brown County High School has resigned from employment at Brown County Schools after administrators say he was responsible for identifying a student as “BLACK GUY” in the 2020 high school yearbook.
“Dr. Greg Mosley, the former yearbook advisor for Brown County High School, has resigned from his employment with Brown County Schools. While the incident involving our student and the ensuing process have been extraordinarily difficult, we hope it is clear that disrespectful acts and attitudes such as these are not tolerated. I am extremely proud of both Brown County Schools and the larger Brown County community regarding how we have come together to affirm this is neither who we are nor who we want to be. Moving forward, let’s please all work to overcome the unprecedented challenges we are facing to make this the best possible school year,” Dr. Laura Hammack, superintendent of Brown County Schools, said in a Tuesday email.
The school district on Friday had announced it determined the caption was written by the faculty advisor and not by a student.
“Our investigation did not identify any students (currently enrolled or graduated) who were involved in the creation of the offensive content,” according to a joint letter sent to News 8 Friday from Hammack and Matthew Stark, principal of Brown County High School. “We believe the content was created by the faculty advisor for the yearbook.”
Before his resignation, the school district had announced Mosley would no longer serve as an advisor for the yearbook and was also suspended for two weeks without pay.
School officials on Friday said the family of the student and the former faculty advisor of the yearbook “have committed to a restorative conference where the harm that was caused is acknowledged, the individual causing the harm is held accountable, and an honest discussion about the harm caused by this inexcusable act is conducted.” It is unclear whether that process will continue after the resignation.
Hammack had described the incident as “egregious” and “truly incomprehensible” in a Facebook Live video but repeatedly characterized it as an “error” rather than an act of racism.
School administrators say they are having meaningful conversations with students, families and community members to ensure this type of incident never happens again.
“We remain deeply grateful for the ongoing engagement of the student and family involved in being a collaborative partner in rejecting discrimination of all types and against anyone. We will not waver in our commitment to treating all our students with the respect and dignity they deserve,” the letter continued. “We absolutely and unreservedly reject the use of any pejorative term to describe anyone—especially those who are a member of the Brown County Schools family.
Hammack and Stark ask the community to fight against discrimination as it heals from the “disheartening incident.”