A Pennsylvania school district sparked outrage when a training video for active shooter situations spread to the wider world. In the video, the simulated shooter is seen wearing a keffiyeh, a Middle Eastern headscarf.
The Penn-Trafford school district issued a statement about the video, claiming they had "no intent to represent any particular culture or religion" in the video. They added that all of the costume pieces were meant to conceal the identity of the faculty member who portrayed the shooter.
"The individual wore a long blonde wig with a scarf tied around his head and a paintball/tactical mask over his face, He was dressed in a dark zip-up sweatshirt and dark pants."
They noted that the video was only meant for internal use and was accidentally released when the students who shot and edited the video uploaded it to YouTube to showcase their work. They added that the "the District strongly believes in diversity and inclusion and strives to provide its students an educational environment reflective of the world community."
The video was immediately denounced by former students and the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh.
"To stereotype the shooter is appalling given the data on active shooters and the recent shootings at the Tree of Life and Christchurch," they wrote.
