METROPOLIS, Ill. – Two black students at Massac County High School may have spoken too soon when they hung a large blue banner from the school’s entrance with the message “N16GA WE MADE IT.”

The banner was part of senior prank day on Wednesday, but school officials contend the message is quite serious.

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“This morning on the unsanctioned ‘senior prank day,’ some students hung a banner at the entrance of our high school with a highly inappropriate racial remark. The principal removed the banner immediately upon being informed,” Massac Unit School District #1 posted to Facebook yesterday as a response from superintendent Dennis Smith.

“That message in no way is representative of our senior class or the Unit 1 schools. The Board of Education and Administration are grieved over this incident, and an investigation has begun.”

Smith told WPSD two black male students were responsible for the banner, and they are “being disciplined,” though he provided no further details. He didn’t explain what the banner said.

“Smith says the school is using the situation as a teachable moment to talk about cultural issues,” according to the news site.

Photos posted to Facebook by Jay Dowd show the message said “N16GA WE MADE IT.”

The West Kentucky Star pointed out that district officials omitted the actual message on the banner, then tracked it down, only to omit it themselves.

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“A photo submitted to West Kentucky Star clearly identifies an ‘N’ word (West Kentucky Star has blurred the offensive word in the photo) that is widely considered racially offensive.”

The ordeal caused quite a commotion among those who commented online, from some who didn’t see the big deal, to others who believe white students would have faced harsher consequences for the same offense.

“If this generation is our future, I do feel sorry for our country,” PTB D. posted in the West Kentucky Star comments. “You are so offended by a word or someone hurt your feelings. Grow up.”

“Apparently none of you who make comments on this site have teenage kids. I do. Have any of you ever listened to a CD that these darlings listen to? Rap. The word is used rampantly in almost all of it. Violent is a misinterpretation. Kill the so and so, my ni**a, along with all the curse words known to man,” Keepin U. wrote.

“The kids call each other that name all the time. Millennials. No respect or responsibility.”

“That’s not racially motivated, it’s a N16GA thing for graduation. It’s all over the internet, it’s not toward black people it’s just an offensive slang word for friend,” Adrian Johnson posted to Facebook.

“It was downright immature and even adults were present at 7:15 taking pictures while I drove my younger kids to school,” Krystle Ann Bunting-Conley wrote.

“Kids made a bad decision? Get out! Not our babies! Calm down, parents can handle this,” Susan Lockard-Kingsley added.