Leaders with the NAACP's Santa Barbara chapter are expressing dissatisfaction with the response from the local school district after several high school students appeared in a TikTok video wearing blackface. The incident involved four teen girls from San Marcos High School.
NAACP Santa Barbara President Connie Alexander stated Friday that the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) has struggled with establishing and executing protocols for racial incidents. "SBUSD has struggled to establish protocols to respond to racial incidents and execute them with humanity. Principals need clear guidance; parents and students need accessible information about district investigations and potential disciplinary actions for racist incidents," Alexander wrote in an op-ed for the Santa Barbara Independent. She also contended that the district's response should be transparent and equitable, noting that "Far too many Black students have been suspended for less severe infractions."
The video, which has circulated among students, shows the girls mimicking an AI-generated image of four young Black boys. The post was captioned with "Meet the gc🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷🥷…," with the ninja emoji reportedly used as a reference to the N-word.
San Marcos High School Principal Dare Holdren acknowledged the students "portrayed blackface" and confirmed that "unspecified consequences" have been implemented for the girls. In a message to parents, Holdren stated that the racial stereotype was reported through the school's "Safe to Speak Up" system two weeks prior and that the administration responded promptly. The school has engaged with the students' families to educate them on the impact of their actions, emphasizing that racial stereotypes are harmful and have no place in schools.
Alexander suggested that the district's handling of the situation warrants changes in leadership. "The same leaders and systems keep failing. It is time for new leadership and systemic change," she wrote, calling the incident "simply wrong."
This is not the first racial incident reported in the district. In October 2025, a substitute teacher at San Marcos High School reportedly read the N-word aloud during a class discussion of "Of Mice and Men" despite being instructed not to, leading to their removal from campus. Community members also voiced concerns in June regarding the prevalence of racial issues on campus, with one student stating that Black students do not feel safe and that some friends have moved away due to these issues.