Maryland, My Maryland

From the College Fix, Maryland noose not ‘racist’ or ‘anti-black’: principal

But ‘imagery is deeply harmful’

Another noose found at a high school may simply be a rope.

Earlier this week, a “staff member” at Sherwood High School “discovered a small rope tied in a manner resembling a noose, draped over the fence surrounding the school’s tennis courts,” according to an email from the principal, republished by MocoShow. The Ashton-Sandy Spring high school quickly contacted police.

“Through a review of our security footage, three individuals were identified and interviewed,” Principal Timothy Britton wrote to the community of the Maryland high school. “We are now in the process of determining appropriate consequences in accordance with the [Montgomery County Public Schools] Student Code of Conduct.”

The principal apologized for the rope, despite there being no “racist” or “anti-Black message” behind it.

Britton wrote:

While our investigation determined that the individuals involved did not intend to communicate a racist or anti-Black message, the impact of such imagery is deeply harmful and cannot be understated. We recognize how disturbing and upsetting this symbol can be, particularly to our Black community members, and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.

At Sherwood High School, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for every student. This incident underscores the importance of ongoing education and dialogue around issues of race, respect, and cultural sensitivity. We will continue to address this in partnership with our students, staff, and families to ensure that such incidents are not repeated.

This is not the first time during this new school year a rope has turned out to just be a rope. 
Several weeks ago, a black parent at a Missouri school reported a noose found in the school bathroom.

“Wow, are we still doing this, did this really just happen,” Long, who is black, told the media, recounting his reaction. “Too many of our black and brown babies have those struggles in our schools,” Long told KSDK 5.

The district concluded, however, that it was not “racially motivated.” It was left by a “kid in crisis,” according to First Alert 4.

Still, the local NAACP blamed the rope on proposals by the Francis Howell School District’s conservative members to restrict access to some inappropriate books and to keep males out of female bathrooms.

This is just grievance mongering from the grievance mongering industry. Loops, and nooses of various different kinds are commonly tied in ropes for all kinds of different reasons. The classic hangman's knot is rarely seen because of the bad connotations, but bowlines, slip knots, and others are essential to using ropes effectively. It's just silly to expect that no rope seen in public have any type of loop, just to avoid offending the sensibilities of idiots.