Barrington School District Apologizes For Slave Auction Skit

(CBS) – A Kenwood Academy High School parent says a skit performed by suburban students at a Latin club conference was racially offensive and crossed the line.

Danielle McDaniels says the performance came during the Illinois Junior Classical Convention over the weekend in Itasca. Two students from Barrington High School presented a skit, apparently set in ancient times, in which one of them was auctioned off as a slave. The student playing the slave had a chain attached to him, according to a video of the skit reviewed by CBS 2.

The conference was attended by high school clubs that study ancient Latin and Roman culture. McDaniels feels the slave-auction premise was inappropriate. Among audience members were African American students and parents from Kenwood, she says.

"At first glance, you would think it was a bachelor auction, but the chains kind of threw it off for us," she tells CBS 2. "And then they said -- their words, not ours -- it was a slave auction."

In a written statement released Sunday, Barrington Community Unit School District 220 said it was reviewing the incident and apologized.

"Barrington School District offers sincere apologies to those offended by the actions of our high school students participating in the Illinois Junior Classical Convention this weekend. We understand the concern and are reviewing the incident with students and staff who were involved," the statement said.