NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Officials with Hays Consolidated Independent School District have responded to allegations of racism at a recent varsity volleyball match against Comal Independent School District’s Canyon High School.
“The experience left our Hawks volleyball players distraught, but they have chosen to be strong together, as a team,” Hays CISD officials said.
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The incident happened at a volleyball game on Friday night. One of the parents of the players on the Hays High School Hawks Volleyball Team shared a post on Facebook stating that Canyon High School students yelled the N-word at her daughters during the game.
“Tonight our Hays volleyball girls played Canyon HS where the front row of Canyon’s student section yelled the N-word (hard R) at my daughters and a few more teammates throughout the match, SO MANY TIMES!!! When my daughter missed her serve, they shouted ‘Make a play Nword-hard R!’ Our coaches told their Admin and all they told the boys was ‘watch your mouths,’” Jennifer Price said in the post.
Price said nobody was removed from the game and that the students “were allowed to continue to heckle the girls on their way out.”
“It is unacceptable that students felt comfortable enough to degrade and berate our players with such derogatory and hateful language,” Hays CISD officials said. “We also feel that not enough was done to remedy the situation after our coaching staff brought the incident to the attention of the Canyon High School administrator on duty.”
CISD acting superintendent Mandy Epley addressed the incident in a statement shared on the district’s Facebook page over the weekend.
Epley said the district is investigating the allegations and “will not tolerate this sort of behavior as it does not represent who we are as a District or as a campus.”
“Please be assured that we will get to the bottom of this issue and that Comal ISD will not tolerate any racially intolerant behavior,” Epley said.
Hays CISD officials noted that many community members have come forward since the incident on Friday and shared similar experiences of racism happening at their schools.
The Hays Hawk Volleyball team said this was not an example of “kids being kids.”
“It is an example of blatant racism, and anyone who sat by or sits by and allows it to happen is equally as responsible as the students that sued the inappropriate language to begin with. If you do not stand against racism, you stand with it,” Hays Hawk Volleyball officials said.