Port Washington school officials suspended one student and are investigating others after the Wisconsin teens pranked a visiting school’s basketball star with goofy signs that folks online deemed racist.

An unnamed student worked with his father to print out copies of a picture of Jalen Johnson, one of the state’s top basketball stars from Nicolet, wearing a charcoal skin clarifying mask. The picture came from Johnson’s personal Instagram account, a snap from when “Jalen and a friend were applying the common clarifying skin care product,” Nicolet Superintendent Robert Kobylski said in a statement.

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The Port Washington High School student distributed the large printout of Johnson’s face to home team fans positioned behind the basket on Wednesday night to distract Nicolet’s top baller during free throws, the boy’s father told WISN.

“The intent was 100 percent to simply distract the young man,” the father, who did not want to be identified, told multiple news sites in a press conference. “Absolutely nothing more, nothing racially motivated at all, um, it was strictly 100 percent to try to get a dominant athlete and get in his head a little bit and try to give us a little bit of an advantage.”

Of course, people at the game took pictures and posted them online with their opinions, instantly fueling cries of racism.

“This happened tonight in Port Washington, Wisconsin at the Nicolet vs Port Washington HS game. SMH. This some inappropriate crap right here,” one Twitter user posted.

“This is ABSOLUTELY DESPICABLE! The Entire WI community should be appalled at this Garbage!” The parents of those students should be ashamed of themselves for this!” Retro Boomin added.

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Nicolet school officials issued a prepared statement in support of Johnson.

“Jalen is more than a tremendous athlete: he is a fine, upstanding young man and deserves to be treated with respect and courtesy by all students and people, no matter what bench they are rooting for,” the statement read, according TMJ4.

The stunt seemingly split folks online, with some accepting the father’s insistence the pictures were not racially motivated, while others insisted the situation was offensive – even if they couldn’t agree on why.

Johnson offered only a one-word response: “UNACCEPTABLE,” he tweeted.

“Unacceptable on so many levels and someone needs to be held accountable,” Sdean Crider concurred.

“If you don’t think this is a form of racism you need to look in the mirror at yourself. Thousand pics to choose from and they put this one up! Even if the kids don’t know the history behind a painted face the parents and coaches should,” Joe Chapman added.

Others offered a different assessment.

“I think this discussion may be misguided,” Sebastion Sparks tweeted. “I honestly think it’s less about race and more about toxic masculinity and homophobia. I don’t believe they were making fun of his face being painted gray, but rather the fact he is a young man who got a facial.”

Either way, Port Washington High School Principal Eric Burke was not impressed with students at the game and launched an investigation into the controversy.

Burke wrote in a prepared statement that district officials are “very disappointed in the conduct of the students involved.

“Please know that we find this conduct inappropriate and the display of the signs disappointing,” he wrote. “It is also extremely disappointing that a parent was involved in printing the signs. Even if nothing bad was intended, the conduct sends a bad message, intended or not.”

As the investigation continues, some parents are convinced students were racially motivated in taunting Johnson and are demanding Port Washington officials take more drastic measures.

“You knew it was wrong when you sat and printed those pictures,” Angela Hamilton, a black mother who attended the game, told WISN. “They need to apologize to Jalen, his parents, the Nicolet school and the community, but something more needs to happen than just an apology.”