Coronado school district officials apologized to Orange Glen High, a predominantly Latino school in Escondido, after at least two Coronado players threw tortillas at the opposing basketball team following a game on Saturday night.
According to the San Diego Tribune, there was an incident after the championship basketball game between the two high schools. Coronado ended up winning, 60-57, in overtime.
Coaching staff continued to argue after the game and, as seen on videos shared to social media, at least two Coronado players threw tortillas.
“Tortillas were flying in the air at our bench and stuff,” Anthony Garibay, an Orange Glen player, told San Diego’s KGTV. “It was a great game between both teams, we both played our hearts out, and it ended in a way it shouldn’t have ended.
"The players who obviously threw the tortillas and whoever came up with that should obviously be punished, you know, definitely not taken lightly.”
Local Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez shared her thoughts on Twitter, posting, "We should have universal condemnation of this activity.”
“Parents in SD County know that racist taunts against latino athletes are too commonplace. It’s time to stop it.”
Calling the high schoolers from Coronado, “near adults,” Gonzalez added that California Interscholastic Federation should sanction the team or even strip it of the championship title.
The paper reported that Coronado Unified School District Superintendent Karl Mueller labelled the high schoolers’ actions “reprehensible” and apologized to Orange Glen's players.
“The individuals who participated in these actions do not reflect our school district values,” Mueller said in a statement. “I want to make it clear that there is no place for such conduct in Coronado Unified School District,” said Mueller.
Coronado Unified School District’s Governing Board will be holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday to “hear the initial results of ongoing investigations and consider additional actions that may need to be taken,” according to a letter sent to the Escondido Union High School District.
The Escondido Union High School District Board of Education will also hold a board meeting on Tuesday. At its regularly scheduled meeting, the board will discuss "a resolution to denounce racism, racial discrimination and the district's support for equity, safety, and well-being of all students."