Michigan school reacts after students chant ‘build the wall’

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – A Detroit-area schools superintendent is trying to ease parents’ concerns after some students chanted “build the wall,” an apparent reference to President-elect Donald Trump’s call for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The chant occurred during lunch Wednesday at Royal Oak Middle School, a day after Trump won the election. Video of the chant was widely viewed on social media. It’s not clear whether students were targeting other students.

In a statement on the district’s website Thursday, Superintendent Shawn Lewis-Lakin says the school is working with students to help them understand the “impact of their words and actions on others.”

The statement urges that in responding to the incident and the election, “we need to hear each other’s stories, not slogans, we need to work towards understanding, not scoring points.”

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