Redneck Dress Up Day Draws Parents' Concerns

LINCOLN (CBS13) - Parents LaTonya and Antwone Smart are outraged by a term used for a school dress up day at their son's Spirit Week.

"I said, 'Redneck Day?' I said, hunny, are you sure?" LaTonya asked her son.

But the Smarts read that right. Thursday is "Redneck Hunter Day" at Lincoln's Twelve Bridges Middle School.

"We're mixed background and I took offense to it," said Antwone.

They couldn't believe an offensive slang was being promoted as a fun activity in their son's school.

"Those are ignorant terms, made by ignorant people," said Antwone.

LaTonya added, "I mean, if you look up the term, it's derogatory, and it's directed towards poor uneducated farmers from the South."

The second dictionary definition calls a redneck a bigot or reactionary, especially from the rural working class.

However, not all parents see it the same. Some think it's funny, just a joke. One mother said it's fine and that people "don't have to be politically correct always."

The superintendant of the Western Placer Unified School District didn't want to go on camera but issued the following statement:

"The student led activity should have used a different term to describe the country theme. We understand that redneck can be offensive and the term should not have been used."

The Smarts say they'll make sure it won't happen again.

"It's just racism, I think, turned in a different direction," said Antowne.