There is something to be said about the influence adults, family, and community have on a person growing up. My question is, did the punishment fit the crime?
Children and teenagers may be brought up to think that a word is just that, a word, and that it has no more meaning than any other word. Or they may understand the meaning of the word but have not been given the context to understand why it was wrong.
Saying a word that they weren't supposed to say once, is that enough justification to punish? Wouldn't education have been better? Teaching children and teenagers why some words hold meansing far beyond what they were told they do.
This kind of punishment is going to leave a lasting scar, one that might only make the problem worse. Might lead them to believe that non-whites are out to get them, to feel threatened or put upon or have anger that builds up inside until one day it cerupts like Mount Vesuvius.
There are some who are unteachable, the ones who grow up to be like Stephen Miller, or join the Proud Boys, or White Militia, and so on.
Then there are those who are teachable, who make mistakes and learn from those mistakes and change.
I'm not talking about rewarding them for doing the wring thing, only that if they are to be punished for it, it should be done as a teaching moment. And it should have been done by adults, not fellow classmates over the internet.