Southlake mayor, school leaders discuss changes after students' racist video

The Southlake mayor and school board leaders met with a group of moms on Wednesday after some Southlake Carroll students recently made a racist video off campus and posted it on social media.

The school district investigated and came up with a plan to address concerns about race and cultural diversity.

Moms stepped up to the mic. The meeting was called Coffee and Conversation. Racism was the topic after a recent racial slur video posted online by Southlake students.

"It made me physically ill when I first saw it,” said Southlake Mayor Laura Hill.

FOX 4 has chosen not to show the video. It's offensive and involves students and has since been removed from social media.

“It makes you feel bad for the entire community, our reputation, how people look at us and how we look at ourselves,” the mayor said.

Hill decided to turn her regularly-scheduled moms event into a discussion about fighting racism and intolerance in the Southlake community.

Rose Maryland's daughter is a high school freshman.

“The thing with the racism, it's been swept under the rug,” Maryland said. “I've heard from other parents in the past. Different things that have happened with their children and nothing was really done about it."

Some moms offered possible solutions. Others just had honest observations.

"I don't want to see changes tonight because I think fast change that you don't learn anything,” Maryland said. “I want to see it gradually happen over time. That way, we're all learning."

The Carroll School Board held an emergency executive session nearly two weeks ago. It approved a Cultural Competency Action Plan that includes holding students in the video accountable, diversity training for students and teachers and forming a diversity council.