BROOKLYN CENTER - Several education-focused organizations are working together to begin to improve behavior at high school events as well as schools in general.
The Minnesota State High School League seeks to improve behavior at high school events following recent incidents of racist taunting by players and spectators with New Prague High School.
The education organizations will launch an initiative to improve behavior at high school events as well as schools in general. With the assistance of professional partners, this initiative will include:
Organize student groups to develop a model code of conduct for all schools. Once developed, this code will be distributed to school boards, administrators, coaches, parents, and students statewide. The code will cover all aspects of participation in activities as well as at school. It will include activities, athletes, spectators, staff, students, and parents.
Convene a student conference, through the MSHSL, MASSP and MNIAA, involving student leaders involved in athletics, fine arts and other activities to raise awareness about student conduct, bullying, gender, race and other issues and assist in the development of tools for all schools.
Identify and provide resources to assist schools and administrators in planning, preparing and implementing best practices to address and eliminate these harmful behaviors and support of students and others who have been impacted.
Schools are to continue promoting and enforcing existing conduct rules through district policies prohibiting racial harassment of any kind and through Bylaw 209 of MSHSL Rules that expressly prohibits racial, sexual, or religious harassment. Violations of the policy require the loss of student eligibility.
The groups will continue to work directly with schools to address to ease behaviors and will keep schools and interested parties informed of progress in these efforts.
Recently, the St Louis Park and Robbinsdale school districts announced they will not compete in athletic events against New Prague, saying players of color were subjected to racist remarks or taunting by New Prague student-athletes and fans.
Superintendent of New Prague Area Schools, Tim Dittberner, told WCCO Radio that his district is weighing different options to address the root cause.
He said that an outside third party, an attorney's office, is doing an investigation into the allegations of monkey noises being directed toward Cooper girls basketball players on Feb. 15.
Andrew Ewald, athletic director for St. Louis Park High School, sent a letter to New Prague High School athletic director, Brad Skogerboe, informing them that they will no longer compete in any sports following a racist incident at a boys hockey game on Feb. 15. During the game, New Prague players allegedly called a St. Louis Park player a monkey and used other racist references.
"After much processing and conversation with our stakeholders and leaders, most importantly our students, I am informing you that I have made the decision that St. Louis Park High School will not compete directly with New Prague High School as a result of the racist experience our boys hockey program was subjected to on Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at New Prague. My decision was also influenced by the other incidents of racism involving New Prague High School athletics in the last month involving other conference schools.
This decision not to compete will last at least through the 2022 spring season and is open-ended after that and will continue until the harm that was caused is repaired and we are assured that any of our stakeholders, most importantly our students, will not be victimized by racism by any New Prague stakeholder in the future. We also plan to remove the New Prague banner from our gymnasium until the harm is repaired and assurances are to our liking.
Please know that I do not take this decision lightly. As I said when New Prague High School was applying to the Metro West Conference, “I will not stand for your community and students to have teachable moments at the expense of our students.” Therefore, I will not tolerate or allow our students to further experience any racism while participating in athletics against New Prague High School."
Skogerboe is a 1987 graduate of Sherburn High School.
On Monday, community members plan to attend a school board meeting to see how the district will address such issues.
Also, it was announced this week that the Prior Lake girls basketball team will forfeit its final game of the season and its first-round playoff game after a sophomore player discovered a racist note in her gym bag, school board Chair Michael Nelson and Superintendent Teri Staloch wrote in a note to families Thursday.
Lakers head coach Demondi Johnson also announced his resignation.
Johnson said in a message posted on Twitter that he hoped whoever left the racist note "can be educated, be held accountable, heal their hearts of hatred, and learn to love those who look different from them."
Prior Lake garnered national attention late last year when footage of two high school students berating a Black classmate with a racist slur went viral, leading to protests on campus and in downtown Minneapolis.