3 days ago
Waterford track meet racist comments investigation; new records
The Brief
Milwaukee students said they heard racist comments during a Waterford track meet.
An investigation confirmed both students and adults made racist comments toward Milwaukee student-athletes.
WATERFORD, Wis. - A FOX6 News open records request revealed new information about the investigation into racist behavior at a Waterford Union High School track meet last month.
The backstory
It was supposed to be a normal high school track meet, but the competition turned hurtful and ugly – fast. The Waterford Union High School District confirmed its students made harmful remarks toward student-athletes from Milwaukee's Rufus King High School.
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"She said they were calling them gangsters and the n-word. I was very, very shocked," Angela Harris, the parent of a Rufus King student-athlete, told FOX6 last month.
Dig deeper
FOX6 News sorted through more than 600 pages of the investigation, which included the final report, the district response plan and emails.
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The investigation revealed both students and adults from Waterford demonstrated racist behavior and language toward the Rufus King students-athletes at the track meet on May 7. However, records revealed they did not act alone.
The final report revealed student-athletes from Waukesha West High School also participated, noting they "mocked mannerisms commonly associated with harmful racial stereotypes." Those remarks and derogatory statements were listed in emails and included references to the Milwaukee student-athletes as "gang members."
In an email sent to Waterford's superintendent on May 8, the day after the track meet, the MPS commissioner of athletics wrote, "We are not interested in empty apologies or vague assurances," and demanded an investigation into racist allegations – calling the behavior "traumatizing and dehumanizing."
As the Waterford Union High School District conducted the investigation, emails showed at least 80 people reached out to the administration to express their outrage.
In one of those emails, a Waterford Union High School parent said: "Their reality is that their school fosters a racist environment." The superintendent responded: "Your point is well taken – racism has no place in our schools or society. As educators, we must be held to a higher standard."
What's next
Waterford Union said every student involved in this incident has been held accountable. It also has a long-term plan for how to ensure students understand the gravity of their actions.
The Source
FOX6 News filed an open records request with the Waterford Union High School District. Information obtained through that request, as well as prior coverage of the situation, is referenced in this report.
