Students at a New Hampshire high school were marked on their hands based on their vaccination status at their prom

• A New Hampshire high school marked students at prom based on their vaccination status, NBC Boston reported.
• Unvaccinated students were labeled with a black marker, a state representative told the outlet.
• The school's contact-tracing system has caused outrage among parents, the representative said.

A high school in New Hampshire said it marked unvaccinated and fully vaccinated students at its senior prom earlier this month for contact tracing, NBC Boston reported.

Parents and a state representative have objected to Exeter High School's decision, the outlet reported.

"Children that were not vaccinated were written on in black Sharpie on their hands and those that were vaccinated had some type of red marker put on them," state Rep. Melissa Litchfield told NBC Boston.

Litchfield said in a Facebook post that she'd received messages from parents about the contact-tracing system and quoted complaints. According to Litchfield, one person said they felt that the school was "literally branding our kids" if they didn't get the "approved vaccine."

"I'm just here because parents are afraid to speak up and they needed a voice and I understand," Litchfield told NBC Boston.

The school district said the students had been told about the system before the prom. Litchfield told NBC Boston that parents weren't notified.

In a statement to the news station, the school's principal, Mike Monahan, said that the system, though not perfect, allowed the seniors to enjoy their prom.

"Our student and parent feedback has been extremely positive regarding the prom experience," Monahan said. "We are aware that some concerns have been expressed that students were singled out or had their privacy violated. We made every effort possible - while adhering to contact tracing guidelines - to ensure that this did not happen.

"We hope the community will understand that while no model is perfect, this model let the students enjoy a close to normal and highly desired experience to cap off their senior year. That's the memory we want to leave them with."