A doll labeled ‘Obama’ is hung in a White River High School stairwell. Five students are expelled while officials investigate.

Five East Pierce County students remained on emergency expulsion Monday as school administrators investigate the hanging of a doll representing Barack Obama.

The dark-skinned doll labeled “Obama” was hung in a White River High School stairwell at the end of the day Thursday while much of the nation was still celebrating the election of America’s first black president.

“Obviously this is not something that is a reflection of the White River School District,” Superintendent Tom Lockyer said Monday. “We certainly don’t tolerate these kinds of behaviors or reactions.”

A KING 5 report said a string was around the doll’s neck, although Lockyer was unclear on the details. He was at an out-of-town conference last week.

“A group of students allegedly took a doll that was intended to represent Obama. Someone tied a string around the doll, and looped it over a pipe in a stairwell,” he said. “My understanding is that the doll was a black doll, and the name ‘Obama’ was written on the doll.”

The school expelled five students on an emergency basis in connection with the incident. Emergency expulsion is a common practice in which schools immediately remove students suspected of involvement in a serious incident until an investigation is completed.

Located in Buckley in rural East Pierce County, the high school enrolls 1,250 ninth- through 12th-graders. In fall 2007, 89 percent of the school’s students were white, 3.6 percent were Hispanic, 2.1 percent were American Indian, 1.9 percent were Asian American or Pacific Islander, and 1 percent were black, according to the state superintendent of public instruction Web site.

“(The doll incident) is one of those things that everybody regrets,” Lockyer said. “Unfortunately, like every district in the United States, we all have kids who allegedly make poor choices.”

Students have come forward with information, which Lockyer sees as an indication of their concern.

White River School Board President Denise Vogel said that as far as she knows, the doll is an isolated incident. The school does what it can to promote appreciation of various cultures, she said.

“We have a diversity club. That teacher works very hard to bring her message of diversity to all of the students,” she said.

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694