CLAYTON, Calif. (KRON) — A student at an East Bay middle school brought cotton balls to school last week and distributed them to other students in what appeared to be an attempt to mock Black History Month, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District said in a letter. The letter, from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Adam Clark, said the event took place on the campus of Diablo View Middle School last week.

The student brought the cotton balls to school and distributed them to other students throughout campus, the letter states. “Although the student who initially brought the cotton balls to campus was disciplined, there were other students who participated,” the letter states.

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“Unfortunately, we as school and District leaders missed a critical opportunity to turn this bullying and racist incident into a learning opportunity,” the letter continues. “I will correct that inaction,” Clark continued, without specifying what measures would be taken to correct it.

“This incident does not represent our values,” the letter also states.

The NAACP East County Branch will hold a press conference at the school at 11:00 a.m. Saturday to address the situation.