Kansas High School School Investigating Harassment Of LGBTQ Students

Officials at Olathe Northwest High School in Kansas are investigating reports that students verbally harassed an LGBTQ student group during a homecoming parade.

According to FOX affiliate FOX4KC, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance marched in Olathe's homecoming parade on September 21. Their peers reportedly threw candy at them, shouted "Make Olathe Northwest Straight Again," and told them to kill themselves.

FOX4KC reports that at least one LGBTQ student stayed home from school the following day and a dozen others said they felt unsafe.

"People were throwing things at us, and I did hear a few words shouted at us kind of along of the lines of 'Make America Straight Again,'" an anonymous student told the outlet.

"Batches of people started saying hateful things phrases like: 'Kill yourself,' 'You're not welcome here,' 'We don't want you,'" a parent told KCTV5.

Members of the GSA posted a note to Twitter regarding the alleged incident, saying they refuse to be silenced as a result of the harassment.

Assistant Superintendent Erin Dugan told FOX4KC that no staff members witnessed the incident. "We didn’t see it, if we’d seen it, we would’ve stopped it immediately," she said. "Kids do a nice job of doing things when the adults aren’t watching. They know our expectations."

The GSA shared screenshots of social media posts that corroborate their account. "Attention #onwravens This is an unofficial announcement from the admin of this twitter," the GSA captioned the post. "We are not afraid. We will continue to fight."

The group also posted a separate note to Twitter addressing misconceptions of the alleged incident.

KCTV5 reports that the school began investigating the incident immediately.