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The videos were created by students in Putnam County who go to Carmel High School, the Carmel Central School District's Board of Education announced on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 15.
Both Carmel Central School District administrators and members of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office were impersonated in the videos, which contained inappropriate and racist content and were posted on TikTok, school officials said.
An investigation confirmed that the videos had been created by students from the high school.
In a statement, the Board of Education condemned the videos.
"As an organization committed to diversity and inclusion, the Carmel Central School District Board of Education is appalled at, and condemns, these recent videos, along with the blatant racism, hatred, and disregard for humanity displayed in some of them," the school board said.
The school board added that the students involved in creating the content would be "dealt with in accordance with the District’s Code of Conduct."
In their statement, school officials said that a response to the videos would be necessary to make sure the district is working toward a fully inclusive environment for students.
"We must ask ourselves and others, 'What can we do to change our current environment and expectations, and work to create an anti-racist school community?' " the school board said, adding, "We must listen and learn, and then we must act. To do the first without the second is simply not an option."
The school board also said that discrimination would not be tolerated.
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