According to KETV 7, Ralston High School junior Ezekiyal Wells’s student yearbook photo was used in a science exam without his permission, along with the question, “Which class includes the animal shown?”
The first seven questions of the exam all ask the same question with various pictures, along with the same multiple-choice options: agnatha, amphibia, aves, Chondrichthyes, Osteichthyes, Mammalia, and reptilia.
“Why are you using my picture out of everybody else you have in the class?” asked Wells.
The school’s principal gave the Wells family a printed copy of the exam, and in that copy, the boy’s photo is the only human or student photo part of the test.
The 17-year-old said that he isn’t even in the class, and he only found out about his photo being on the test when other students show it to him.
“To me, it came out more racist if anything because it’s like you’re trying to identify me as something,” said Wells. “I know I’m a human; you’re not about to sit here and say I’m other than that.”
Wells took the zoology course for a quarter with the same teacher over a year ago, and he and the teacher haven’t spoken since.
“Why me? Out of everybody? Why do you have to pick me out of everybody you had a chance to choose from? Why do you have to pick me out?” said the junior.
Upset and confused about the school’s treatment toward her child, Wells’s mother said, “I’m like, ‘What would make you do it?’ He says, ‘Well, last year in class we had a conversation about primates,’ and that’s as far as he got in the conversation before mom instincts kicked in.”
The boy’s mom said it would have possibly made her feel better if the test included other students of other races, but unfortunately, her son’s picture was the only one used.
“As a teacher, you should have had enough common sense; you should have had enough respect,” she said.
Ralston high school released a statement to the outlet saying, “Ralston Public Schools was made aware late [Monday] of a situation that occurred at Ralston High School. This incident involved one of our teachers, in very poor judgment, who used a student’s photo on a test given to a class.”
“As a district, we highly value the diversity in our school community. The action taken by this teacher does not in any way represent the values and culture of Ralston Public Schools,” it continued.
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“We are taking this situation very seriously. Once aware, District officials immediately began an investigation and are continuing to look further into this situation. This is being handled as a personnel issue, and as such, we can not comment on the specifics of this matter.”
“Ralston Public Schools strives to provide a positive learning environment for our students and staff dedicated to achieving excellence through purposeful instruction and nurturing a climate of hope and inclusion.”
