Top Lion
Meridian School

Dear Parents,

Meridian's administration is aware of repulsive images that were posted last weekend by an unknown user on an anonymous Instagram account. Several current and former Meridian students reported this to Assistant Principal Ms. Holcombe. She, in turn, immediately messaged the anonymous account holder demanding that the images be pulled down. The anonymous user removed the images and the entire account shortly thereafter.

While it is unknown whether the anonymous account belongs to a Meridian student or not, this is being treated as a serious offense, and anyone with information is asked to contact administration to assist with the investigation. If preferred, an anonymous tip can be sent through this link on our website. Local authorities have been contacted as well.

In response to a statement made on a personal social media post, Meridian did not remove the post which had brought this incident to the attention of the school's community. The private group, which is not an official Meridian World School Facebook page, is monitored by parent volunteers. To adhere to Facebook's policy regarding violence, the parent admin of the group messaged the original poster (a fellow parent), asking that the threat of potentially harming a child be removed in order to keep the post from being deleted. While this request was denied, the group's admin chose to leave the message, recognizing the importance of the concern being shared with the parent community.

Meridian World School does not tolerate the abhorrent behavior that was demonstrated in last weekend's social media post. All students are to feel welcome and safe. Meridian will continue to foster an environment that develops caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

A similar letter has been sent to students in grades 9-12. We encourage all parents to read the email, as it makes very clear what is expected of our students, along with outlining the severity of this offense and the disciplinary action that would be taken should a student be identified as having participated in such a heinous act. We also encourage families to take this as an opportunity to discuss the importance of being kind to one another, of using social media responsibly, and of how strongly our actions can have an effect on others.

Perhaps now more than ever, we as a society need to come together to spread messages of support and solidarity. I hope you agree and will join our school community in doing just that.


Sincerely,

Charles Ryder
High School Principal


Meridian School

2555 North IH-35

 Round Rock, TX 78664

 (512) 660-5230