Katy ISD accused of allowed racist taunting of Black athletes

Adams captured video of the incident and included it in her tweet, which has since been retweeted more than 900 times as of Wednesday afternoon.

With Paetow trailing early in the game, the heckling started off mild, Adams said. But as the Panthers started to come back, the Warriors’ student section “woke up” and began yelling players’ numbers to try and distract them.

Adams said she and other parents, as well as some coaches, complained to Jordan’s security and administration before it could escalate, but nothing happened. “We knew something was going to get worse,” she said.

Then they began to hear monkey noises.

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“I’m like wait a minute that can’t be what I’m hearing. Let’s record,” she said. “By then, you can see our girls’ faces. They were looking like, ‘Are you serious right now?’ But they pushed through.”

When the game ended in a Warriors victory, fans rushed the court before the Panthers could get escorted out, Adams said. “We were trying to get our girls out at this point,” she said. “We’ve never left the game so abruptly. Normally they can take their equipment off, (but) not this time.”

She has since made formal complaints with Jordan High’s athletic director, but has not yet heard back. The only person that has contacted her is Paetow High School principal Mindy Dickerson, Adams said, who informed her a student had been identified.

Katy ISD shared the following letter sent to parents and staff in response to the incident:

This weekend we shared with you that the District and campus administration had launched an investigation into an incident that occurred at the Paetow High School versus Jordan High School volleyball game last Friday. The incident involved inappropriate behaviors exhibited by individuals in attendance at the game.

An investigation has identified some students engaged in behaviors that are not aligned with the District’s and the UIL’s expectations for sportsmanship conduct during an athletic event.  Any student’s behavior deemed in violation of the Discipline Management Plan and Student Code of Conduct will face disciplinary consequences.

Again, the safety of all Katy ISD students is our District’s utmost priority. Students, staff and community play an important role in keeping our school safe by reporting potential safety issues. We would like to thank those who came forward to report the concern to school and District personnel.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as the incident was investigated. 

A disturbing trend

Adams said she doesn’t believe Katy ISD is doing enough. 

“The lack of direct communication to our girls from Katy ISD to check on their mental state after having to endure such heinous actions is disrespectful and concerning,” she wrote on Twitter, calling on district officials to “read the room” after a similar racially charged incident made national headlines at a recent volleyball match between BYU and Duke.

Last month, a BYU women’s volleyball fan yelled racial slurs at Rachel Richardson, a Black Duke player, while she was serving, prompting an investigation that is still ongoing.

Two days after the game, Richardson said in a statement on Twitter that she and her African American teammates were “targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match.”

However, Adams said she was not entirely shocked by the district’s response given recent events.

“They were quick to ban books but not protect children,” she said. She also believes the handling of the BYU and Duke incident further emboldened perpetrators at athletic events.

“People will wear the girl’s number in support, but nothing is physically done,” she said. “It’s the culture of what they’re accustomed to because there’s no repercussions.”

Since the BYU controversy, similar incidents have unfolded at other high school varsity volleyball games in Texas.

On Friday night, a parent at Hays High School near San Antonio posted to Facebook that students from Canyon High School yelled the N-word at her daughters during a volleyball game, according to KSAT 12.

Hays High School’s volleyball team issued its own statement Tuesday, saying “not enough was done to remedy the situation” after its coaching staff brought it to Canyon’s attention.

How should racist incidents be addressed?

When speaking about the recent incidents, Richard Baker, Rice University’s executive director for institutional equity and Title IX coordinator, said he questions if proper protocol was followed by the schools and referees.

“Any athlete, whether in the field or a classroom, shouldn’t be subjected to discrimination or harassment and if they are, it should be addressed as (institution’s) policies are allowed.”

Baker suggested parents first familiarize themselves with the protocols for their child’s school, so that they know who to report similar incidents to.

But there are many ways to respond to such crises, Baker added, and while the audience may expect school districts and institutions to pick a side, he understands why they cannot draw conclusions or explicitly deem incidents racist during investigations.

However, Baker believes they can still acknowledge their values and the harm done.

“Schools should adopt some sort of message at these games because it can be expected that some students can behave unruly,” he added. “So that behavior should be addressed at the game and throughout. But there should also be a reminder that harassment in any form is antithetical to who they are. And if there is an event that threatens who we are, we are going to take action because that’s who we are.”

Claire Goodman contributed to this report.