Salt River school plans action after reports of racist taunts
More than a week after reports of racist chants halted a high school volleyball playoff game, Salt River Schools’ Education Board contemplated the school’s relationship with the Canyon Athletic Association during a Monday meeting.
The board members also praised the Salt River High School volleyball players and named them students of the month.
“The world is not a nice place,” WiBwa Grey, a board member, said. “I know they came out of this stronger.”
The Oct. 22 playoff game between Salt River High School and charter school Caurus Academy of Anthem was stopped after crowd members reportedly heckled Salt River players with racist gestures and slurs. Salt River High School is located in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Members of the crowd referred to the players as “savages” when the match became competitive, said one Salt River alumnus who was at the playoff game. Others reported that spectators used an offensive gesture, tapping their hands over their mouths. The two teams finished the game days later.
The board on Monday discussed how the school should move forward with the Canyon Athletic Association, which oversees competition between the two schools and other nontraditional high schools in Arizona. Some members expressed disappointment with the organization’s investigation into the incident.
Board members decided to send a letter to the Canyon Athletic Association to make sure the organization’s leaders know that the school board is disappointed by the incident.
“We’re not going away,” Superintendent Cynthia Clary said.
Taté Walker, a spokesperson for Salt River Schools, said this isn’t the first time Native athletes have faced racism from spectators.
“This is not something that should ever happen again,” Walker said.
The school is also offering to provide language and culture experts following the incident for any organization interested.
CAA’s investigation into the incident was also a topic of discussion during the meeting. Walker said the school recently learned that there was no video footage from the game, so the organization only reviewed still photographs.
“All they reviewed were stills, which won’t show you anyone calling someone ‘savage,’ ” Walker said.
CAA’s executive board is meeting Wednesday evening and may discuss the game. Salt River Schools plans to send a representative to the meeting.
The two schools eventually finished the game at a neutral site, where Caurus ultimately won. Representatives from both schools spoke afterward.
Wendy Davison, principal and athletic director at the Anthem school, vowed at the time to “partner with Salt River” and the CAA to “move forward so that we can all enjoy winter and spring sports.”
She also issued an apology “for the fact there was a disruption” but did not acknowledge the specific claims of racial taunts, saying no administrator witnessed anything and there was no video evidence.
The schools will compete in other sports during the year.
CAA officials after the game said no sanctions would be handed down but it would establish a new, interscholastic committee that will develop new cultural competency policies for member schools to follow.
Walker said the school received a flood of requests from journalists after the volleyball game made national headlines. Board members praised how the teenagers handled the influx of attention.
During a cheerful moment at the meeting, the players received certificates emblazoned with gold seals as they were honored as students of the month.
Head Coach Kyronna Roanhorse told The Republic that while the volleyball season is over, some of the girls have already started the basketball season. The athletic community should learn from this experience, she said.
“Mistakes happen but the same time we have to learn from it,” she said.
Roanhorse added that she’s heard suggestions that the team should just forget that anything happened and moved forward. But she wants officials to further examine what happened at the game so students don’t face racist taunts again.
“That shouldn’t be something that should happen to anybody because it hurts them physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally,” Roanhorse said.