14 teachers, staff dressed in US-Mexico border wall Halloween costumes put on paid leave

MIDDLETON, Idaho – Fourteen staff members at an Idaho school district who donned caricatured outfits depicting Mexican people and a border wall emblazoned with “Make America Great Again” have been placed on paid administrative leave.

Middleton School District Superintendent Josh Middleton announced the decision Saturday at a special school board meeting.

After the announcement, the board went into executive session, which is not open to the public.

Board Chairman Tim Winkle says the costumes were part of a team building activity after school hours.

According to the Idaho Statesman, the superintendent also announced that a member of the district’s crisis team would take over day-to-day principal duties at the school for the time being.

The photos were posted Friday on the school’s district Facebook page, went viral and caused an immediate uproar, the Statesman reported. 

The photos have since been deleted. The school’s website also posted an apology letter on its homepage, but its administration section has been taken down.