Parental and administrative outrage in Russellville was cranked to 11 after the Russellville High School yearbooks came out recently. Only then was it discovered that the Senior photos of several students were paired with inspirational quotes that went a bit beyond your average excerpt from the wisdom of Albert Einstein or Oprah Winfrey.
Discipline must be maintained of course, but it might be hard for even button down adults to stifle a chuckle upon seeing a white student’s cap-and-gown photo accompanied by “I was born a poor black child,” a quote from the 1979 Steve Martin film “The Jerk.”
KARK reports that at least one of the quotes included in the yearbook was too vulgar to air, but a girl who commented on the KARK Facebook page and who claims to be on the yearbook staff at Russellville High said the quote in question was: “When the Red River flows, take the dirt road home,” clearly a reference to… well, never mind. Students were allowed to choose the quote that ran with their photo.
The school superintendent says that disciplinary action will be taken, and that officials are exploring changes to the yearbook’s editorial process.