Florida - Joke Or Racist Prom Proposal? Teen Apologizes After Backlash

A teen in Sarasota Florida thought he was being witty when he came up with his one-liner that was supposed to reel in his prom date. Instead, the "promposal" went viral and all he caught was a bunch of hate and people calling him racist. 18-year-old Riverview High School senior Noah Crowley was seen holding his "promposal" sign in a picture shared on SnapChat.

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Now, Riverview High School students are investigating the viral photo after receiving many calls of concern over the racial matter in the sign. Crowley's sign read, "If I was black I'd be picking cotton, but I'm white so I'm picking u 4 Prom?" The high school student apologized on social media Sunday and said the sign isn't a reflection of how he actually feels.

"I want to sincerely apologize if I have offended anyone with the picture going around. That was not my intention," Crowley said. "It was a complete joke and it went too far. After reading the texts and Snapchat's I truly see how I have offended people and I'm sorry." The student's family also felt they needed to release a statement Tuesday:

"While our son has apologized, on behalf of our family, we wish to also express our most sincere apologies for the terrible words used in his 'promposal'. We love our son dearly and know that he is a far better person than reflected in this reckless behavior. That said, as loving parents, we also feel compelled to share our own deep regret and serious concern about his actions."

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As a result of the "promposal", the teens family also said he would not be attending any future school activities such as prom and graduation. "As a family, we truly recognize this incident is a very difficult but important life lesson and pledge to do all we can to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again," the family said. "Certainly, we hope that all of the people and communities who were hurt and offended will forgive our son and family."

The high school has even made guidance counselors and administrators available for students who feel they need to talk about the post. They also said they are working with local and national civic leaders like the NAACP to create a forum to discuss racial issues. So far the student has not faced any disciplinary action from the school district but that could change.

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Source: http://www.cbs17.com/news/south/florida-student-family-apologize-for-racial-promposal/1139052338