The Oregon School Activities Association has issued sanctions against Sandy High School after an incident at a girls basketball game against Reynolds, during which Raiders players heard racist language from the Sandy student section.
Following a third-party investigation, the OSAA found that Sandy was in violation of OSAA rule and is requiring the school to complete tasks to make sure an incident like this doesn’t happen again. The OSAA issued its ruling via a letter to both school districts on May 13. The Oregonian/OregonLive received a copy of through a public records request.
The game took place on Feb. 17 at Sandy High School. During the first half, two players from Reynolds heard racist language in the Sandy student section and it was reported to referees by Reynolds coach Kelsey Stone, according to the OSAA’s findings.
During halftime, a Reynolds parent reported the racist language to Sandy Athletic Director Garet Luebbert, who questioned event management staff and the referees about the incident.
At the same time, the Raiders decided as a team that they would not continue to play unless the Sandy student section was removed from the gym. Luebbert asked that they continue with more adult presence around the student section. As Reynolds parents and Sandy event management staff got involved in the conversation, the OSAA’s letter states, the situation “quickly spiraled” and Stone walked over to the head table to announce that the Raiders were leaving.
The next day, Luebbert contacted the OSAA office, requesting to forfeit the game, and the Oregon Trail School District issued a statement.
“While we thoroughly investigated the incident and were unable to corroborate the accusation, we acknowledge that it is our responsibility to ensure every athlete and spectator feels welcomed, and we uphold the integrity of high school athletics in every facet. We were unable to do that last night,” the statement read.
The investigation contracted by the OSAA did not find any other witnesses to corroborate what was heard by the Reynolds players. The OSAA Executive Board also acknowledged that Luebbert immediately began investigating the incident on site, and the school district’s message the next day showed good will toward the other party.
“While appreciative of this action, the Board acknowledges that Reynolds students, coaches, and their community were negatively impacted by this situation,” the OSAA’s letter reads.
The Executive Board decided that the incident was a violation of OSAA Rule 3, which deals with crowd control and sportsmanship.
For its part of the sanctions, Sandy must complete a detailed plan of action for hosting future events that will help make sure an event like this does not occur in the future. The school must also hold trainings for the 2022-23 school year, including training and implementing an incident response protocol for Sandy event management staff on interrupting unsportsmanlike and discriminatory behavior when seen, heard or reported.
Sandy must also communicate with the OSAA how the school is addressing these incidents in both procedure and policy, specifically as it relates to student sections. Sandy also has to implement elements of the OSAA’s S.T.A.R. Initiative, including posting signage for sportsmanship and harassment reporting, and communicating these procedures with visiting schools.
Sandy was not the only entity that the OSAA named in its letter to the schools. The investigation also found that the game officials did not follow established protocols, which would have included taking immediate steps to address the concern of the athletes.
“When reflecting on the situation, the game official acknowledged his inaction in not stopping the game and understanding the severity of the allegations,” the OSAA’s letter reads.
As a result, the OSAA is requiring that the Portland Basketball Officials Association implement education and training for all officials prior to the 2022-23 season regarding the steps they must take when discriminatory behavior is seen, heard or reported to the officials.
While Sandy has been sanctioned by the OSAA, the letter does not state that the school is being placed on probation.
The OSAA has placed at least two schools under probation to start the 2022-23 school year. Molalla is on probation after members of the Gladstone boys basketball team claimed they were subject to racist taunts from Molalla fans in January. Clatskanie is also on probation after De La Salle North Catholic girls basketball players alleged they heard racist slurs from fans in December.
There were other investigations by the OSAA this season that did not come out conclusive. The OSAA did not take any action after an investigation into a Class 4A playoff football game where Gladstone players said they heard racist taunts from La Grande players.
An incident at Camas High School in Washington was also inconclusive after Benson players and coach Eric Knox claimed they heard racial slurs from Camas students.
-- Nik Streng, nstreng@oregonian.com, @NikStreng
Ad Choices