Community Education Sports
Peninsula School District apologizes for ‘racially charged reference’ at basketball game
Peninsula School District on Monday issued a statement acknowledging that a Gig Harbor High School student in the stands at a Dec. 13 boys varsity basketball game against Lincoln High School was removed from the game after making a “racially charged reference” to a Lincoln player on the court.
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“This behavior is unacceptable, does not reflect the values we strive to uphold, and is in direct opposition to who we want to be as a district community,” the district stated in a letter to families. Superintendent Krestin Bahr, district Athletic Director Wendy Malich, Gig Harbor High principal Michele Suiter and other district officials signed the letter.
Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association regulations dictate that if such an incident occurs, referees should stop the game and address the behavior, whether it “happens on the court or in the stands.” Gig Harbor High School administrators and a school safety officer attended Friday’s game to monitor and manage behavior.
District cites previous incidents
The incident involving a GHHS fan during the game at Lincoln High wasn’t the first directed at athletes from the Tacoma school.
Similar issues arose during a basketball game against Lincoln last year, the district said in its statement. And a Gig Harbor player used a racist term toward a Lincoln player during a football game between the two schools earlier this school year, according to the district.
In that instance, officials stopped the game and called athletic directors and administrators onto the field. Referees addressed the behavior directly. The offending individual faced “school and team-level consequences,” the district wrote.
“We want to thank the Lincoln Abes for bringing this (Friday’s) incident to our attention,” the district said. “We acknowledge the harm caused by this pattern of behavior and extend our sincere apologies to those affected. In the near future, we hope to have the opportunity for students of both schools to come together and discuss these incidents and find ways to work together to ensure all students at both schools are treated with kindness and respect.”
Bahr and the other officials expressed disappointment in the student’s behavior and said the incident underscores the importance of the district’s work to promote equity and inclusion.
PSD examining its policies
Deputy Chief of Schools Julie Shultz-Bartlett is working with staff and community members through the newly formed Bullying Action and Prevention Task Force to better understand the root causes of these concerns, the district said.
Chief of Schools Michael Farmer is working with staff from the Puget Sound Educational Service District to conduct a comprehensive review of Peninsula’s policies, procedures and practices on harassment, intimidation and bullying.
“I am really sorry. This harm is inexcusable,” said Bahr, who formerly worked as a teacher, principal and administrator for Tacoma Public Schools. “Lincoln High School and Tacoma Public Schools was and is my community. I am dedicated to moving through this challenge with my staff and students, and to make it clear that we will not tolerate this sort of behavior now or in the future.”
Excerpts from letter
Other excerpts from the district’s statement include the following:
“We will not back down from the challenge of addressing inherent bias among our students and community.”
“We extend our sincerest apologies to the students, staff, and families at Lincoln High School and we will work to repair this relationship.”
“Discrimination has no place here, and inclusion will remain the cornerstone of our collective progress.”
And, “We recognize that some concerns within our community may have gone unresolved or lacked the attention they deserved in the past. We want to assure everyone that moving forward, we are fully committed to addressing these issues with transparency, accountability and thoroughness.”
The district urged anyone with questions or concerns to reach out to the district at [email protected].