An unfortunate and controversial incident took place Friday morning during the annual senior panoramic photo on the Desert Vista High School campus.

Six female members of the senior class posed together for a picture in which taped letters on their shirts spelled out a racially offensive word.

Since the photo’s posting to social media, news of the incident has spread across the country. Local media outlets have covered the story, while Twitter has hosted a variety of feedback from all over America.

In an immediate response to the issue, executive director of community relations for Tempe Union High School District, Jill Hanks, released the following statement on Friday:

That was not a school photo. They do not represent DV or the community as a whole. These are six students who made a really bad decision. They do not reflect the rest of the student body, the 3,100 other students that go here, staff that work here or anyone in our district.

After taking time this weekend to meet with district administrators and staff leaders at Desert Vista, Principal Christine Barela addressed the school’s parents in a letter. While also expressing her disappointment in the actions of the six seniors, Dr. Barela also reassured the community that consequences will be issued and the school will move forward in a positive direction:

Our school has been blessed with amazing students, caring faculty and staff and supportive parents since its existence. This incident does not define any of us but we are taking it seriously and will follow district policies and procedures while creating a plan to move forward.

The administration acknowledged that the process of healing and reuniting the community will take time. Until then, school leaders will continue working with Tempe Union High School District administration to resolve the issue in a fair and thorough manner.