IMSA campus. (CREDIT: Google Maps)

Officials at the Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy have alerted parents that a black doll with a noose around its neck was found on the school property.

According to school and media reports, the doll was found in an area of the school’s campus “meant to be a safe and inclusive space.”

A report by Patch.com said the “Barbie-like doll” was found “pinned to a cork board.”

Katherine Berger, the chief student affairs officer, sent a letter saying the doll was found recently, but the date was not specified.

Officials at the school are calling the event a “bias incident” and are investigating. In her email, Berger reminded parents and students of the school’s diversity stance.

(CREDIT: Google Maps)

“Our community is a close one and serves as the home for our students, making this incident even more distressing,” she said.

“It is the responsibility of all to ensure that our community is an inclusive, safe and secure environment for our students. It is the responsibility of all to ensure that IMSA is an environment free from hate, macroaggressions or bias against anyone because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other reason intended to diminish or marginalize each other.”

IMSA, located at 1500 Sullivan Road in Aurora, is considered one of the best high schools in the country. In fact, it was ranked No. 1 in America in Niche’s 2019 list of America’s Best High Schools.

IMSA’s Diversity Stance

The affirmation, appreciation, and inclusion of multiple cultures are vital to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff and the IMSA community will be able to thrive in a multicultural academic and residential environment.

From this perspective, it is important that community members be effective at interacting across cultures, which is essential to IMSA’s vision of “igniting and nurturing creative, ethical scientific minds that advance the human condition”.

IMSA’s diverse cultural groups also include the political orientations, statewide regional cultures, and the multiplicity of beliefs, ideas, and visions that are critical to fostering an educational environment where students, faculty, and staff exchange ideas freely, encourage critical thinking and reexamine their personal perspectives.

SOURCE: IMSA website and media reports