Homewood-Flossmoor officials say that a coach and members of Lincoln-Way East’s girls cross country team racially taunted the H-F team on Saturday at a meet in Western Springs.
The alleged incident occurred the morning after Lincoln-Way East students were ejected from a football game at Homewood-Flossmoor for racist harassment.
Lincoln-Way East acknowledged what happened on Friday at the football game and apologized. The Lincoln-Way School District issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon denying the Saturday cross country incident.
H-F provided written statements from three cross country athletes describing a Lincoln-Way East coach making comments about “running past those monkeys,” and that some of the Lincoln-Way East team began cheering and making “noises that were racist” and “monkey gestures.”
Lincoln-Way East students at Friday’s football game in Flossmoor were caught on video taunting the H-F student section by acting like monkeys.
Homewood-Flossmoor said it plans to pursue legal action on both incidents.
Lincoln-Way interviewed the coaches and students involved in Saturday’s cross country incident and released this statement:
“Lincoln-Way East coaches merely recounted a well-known story about an area of the Lyons Township course referred to as ‘the jungle.’ This area is labeled as such on publicly available maps of the course. According to the coaching staff and student-athletes, at the time of the meet Saturday morning, they were not even aware of the events that took place [at the football game]. In addition, Lyons Township meet officials confirmed no complaint or any form of racial allegation involving Lincoln-Way East was brought to their attention.
“After concluding its investigation into the cross-country meet allegations, the Lincoln-Way administration is confident that neither its staff nor student athletes intended to harass, intimidate or offend any of their competitors or those competitors’ families. Nevertheless, the entire Lincoln-Way school community recognizes the impact and sensitivity of the matter, particularly after the egregious and intolerable behavior displayed by certain Lincoln-Way East students during Friday’s football game.”
The Illinois High School Association is investigating what happened at the cross country meet at Lyons Township High School’s South Campus in Western Springs on Saturday.
“Demeaning words and actions cannot and will not be tolerated,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement. “The investigation process is now underway, and we will work tirelessly to achieve a resolution that reflects the serious nature of this situation.”
Most fans and media were unaware of what happened at the football game on Friday, but photos and videos began appearing on social media Saturday morning. Later on Saturday, both schools addressed the incident.
According to a statement from H-F Supt. Jennifer Norrell and Principal Clinton Alexander, “five Lincoln-Way East student fans made a very bad choice to engage in disrespectful and racist harassment towards H-F students seated in the bleachers.”
Alexander was at the game. The statement goes on to say that H-F is working with Lincoln-Way East and local authorities “as we consider all options to protect against this in the future, including legal options.”
Lincoln-Way East Principal Toriano Griggs addressed a possible student walkout in an email sent to school families on Tuesday.
“We are also aware of information circulating about a potential student walkout on Wednesday, September 9,” Griggs wrote in the email. “While we will not prevent students from participating in a walkout, we will manage any student walkout or protest in accordance with procedures outlined in the student handbook and with appropriate safety precautions in place. Individuals who are not Lincoln-Way East students or authorized visitors will not be permitted on campus. Our priority will continue to be maintaining a safe and orderly environment for all students and staff.
“By now, many of you have seen videos, social media posts, or news reports about the incident. I have personally reviewed videos and spoken with students, families, and others who were there. I want to be very clear: the racial slurs, monkey noises, and racist gestures that occurred Friday night were hurtful and completely unacceptable. This behavior has no place at Lincoln-Way East or anywhere else.”
Griggs talked to the Lincoln-Way East student body about the football game incident Tuesday.
“We reminded students that being a Griffin is about much more than wearing blue and white. It is about how we treat others, having the courage to speak up when something is wrong and understanding the responsibility that comes with representing our school. ... Friday night was deeply disappointing. What matters now is how we respond, what we learn and what we do moving forward. Our actions must demonstrate the values we expect from the Lincoln-Way East community.”
On Saturday after a girls cross-country meet, several Homewood-Flossmoor athletes and coaches returned to campus and detailed the incident.
On Saturday after a girls cross-country meet, several Homewood-Flossmoor athletes and coaches returned to campus and detailed the incident.
