Yearbooks are supposed to capture the fondest of memories, but Los Osos High School's managed to do just the opposite when it misidentified a hijab-wearing Muslim student as "Isis Phillips."
"Isis" was once a popular name - a beautiful name representing the most powerful of Egyptian goddesses - but it is now most commonly associated with an extremist group. Unfortunately, it is also the tag Bayan Zehlif got on her high school yearbook.
"Apparently, I am ‘Isis' in the yearbook," the student wrote on Facebook. According to her, the school had reached out to her, saying that the incident was merely a typo.
"I beg to differ, let's be real," added Zehlif.
The student also posted a snap of the yearbook post on Twitter.
I guess I'm Isis in the yearbook... pic.twitter.com/hMc0dVu8dM
— βΔYΔΠ (@BayanZehlif) May 7, 2016
True enough, a mistake like that could have been easily attributed to a misprint years ago but with racial stereotypes so rampant these days, it's difficult to simply disregard the incident.
Mat Holton, Chaffey Joint Union School District Superintendent, said that the high school has gotten in touch with Zehlif and another student, presumably the real Isis Phillips, assuring them that an investigation into the incident is underway and appropriate actions will be taken if anyone is found to have acted irresponsibly and intentionally.
"The school will assure students, staff and the community that this regrettable incident in no way represents the values, or beliefs, of Los Osos High School," Holton said.
Los Osos High School Principal Susan Petrocelli gave an apology via Twitter. The school's yearbook staff has also issued an apology.
Some 287 yearbooks have already been distributed to senior students when the issue surfaced. The school has stopped releasing yearbooks at the moment and is asking distributed yearbooks to be returned.
According to Zehlif, her mom will be opening a case if there are no answers provided after a personal meeting with Petrocelli.
While it is likely, it is still hard to say if the incident was a blatant case of stereotyping. Nevertheless, friends, family and strangers are showing their support for Zehlif on Twitter and Facebook. Her original Facebook post has been shared more than 4,400 times.
Recently, another case of stereotyping delayed what should have been a 41-minute flight from Philadelphia to Syracuse by more than two hours when a woman expressed concern over her seatmate scribbling "codes" before takeoff, alerting the airline crew of a possible terrorist threat. It turned out the codes were math equations, and she was seated next to Guido Menzio, a decorated Italian economist.
