After a racially charged video posted by a Seneca Valley School District student surfaced online earlier this week, the school district temporarily suspended some of its social media accounts in reaction to an overwhelming flood of comments that violated its social media policy.

“We began receiving hundreds of posts and comments involving misinformation and inappropriate language, mostly from people outside of the district,” said Linda Andreassi, the district's communications director, in an email Thursday. “Out of respect to our 16,000 followers...we made the decision to temporarily suspend (its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts).”

A post by a Twitter user shared Seneca Valley's phone number along with email addresses for the district superintendent and dean of students alongside the offending video where the student is saying a racial slur and issues a threat. The Twitter user claims the student was responding to George Floyd's homicide.

This Twitter post and similar ones naming the school and city could have added to the influx of comments from non-residents.

Listed in the district's handbook under its social media policy, Seneca Valley said the district reserves the right to remove posts that “contain vulgar or abusive language/graphics, personal attacks of any kind, or offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial groups,” as well as ones that “make unsupported accusations; reference employees or students by name; and/or contain personal phone numbers, personal email addresses or other confidential information as protected by law.”

With the district on summer break, Andreassi said the plan is to leave the social media channels turned off for at least a week. At that time, the district will re-evaluate turning its pages back on.

“We are a school district and will not permit people from outside the district to attack our children with vulgarities and hate,” Andreassi said in the email.

On Wednesday, district Superintendent Tracy Vitale and school board president James Nickel issued a joint statement denouncing the “abhorrent” social media video.

“We were stunned to see it and find this type of behavior to be repulsive,” the district's release says.

The video appears to have been initially posted to Snapchat with the caption, “This is the problem. get educated,” but it was then shared on other social media.

A copy of the video has been found in a Twitter post naming the student on May 30, five days before the school district issued its joint statement.

“Even though this incident took place away from school, we have involved multiple school personnel, the student and the student's family regarding this matter,” the joint statement said.

Due to confidentiality laws, the school is not sharing any other information, according to the news release.

“The comments that were made in this video are not what we stand for as a school district or community,” the release said. “We are against racism and discrimination in any form.”

Although the district's social media channels are inactive due to the influx of comments, Andreassi said the district welcomes civil discourse and that people can contact the communications department by calling 724-452-6040 or emailing communications@svsd.net. People can also reach the school board and administration through schoolboard@svsd.net.

Eagle staff writer Samantha Beal contributed to this report.