Peninsula School District issued a statement Monday acknowledging that a Gig Harbor (Wash.) High School student was removed from a Dec. 13 boys' varsity basketball game after making a “racially charged reference” to a Lincoln High School player on the court.
“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, as reported by Gig Harbor Now. Superintendent Krestin Bahr, district athletic director Wendy Malich, Gig Harbor High School principal Michele Suiter and other district officials signed the letter.
Washington Interscholastic Activities 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.
Lincoln won the low-scoring game on its home court in Tacoma, 47-39.
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.
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.”
The district's full statement can be read here.
