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High school students caught on tape making monkey noises toward visiting black volleyball players [1]

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Date: 2022-09-07

During a volleyball match last Friday, young fans in Jordan High School were caught on tape making monkey noises toward the volleyball players of Paetow High School.

x 1. Hi Friends and Family, sadly my post is not one of celebration. This past Friday my daughter's Varsity Team Paetow High School(Katy,TX) played against Jordan High School (Katy,TX), and were heckled and harassed with the student section making monkey sounds towards our black pic.twitter.com/b5Lp0t0uij — Lakeesha Kemp-Adams (@KeeshaKA) September 4, 2022

"It was chaotic. It just did not feel like a welcoming rival environment," Adams said. Adams said the game went on without anyone addressing what happened, so she made a formal complaint.

Both Jordan High School and Paetow High School are within the Katy Independent School District, which serves several suburban areas west of Houston. But the schools differ in demography; although both schools are more than 50 per cent non-white, Jordan High School has a higher proportion of white and Asian students, whereas Paetow has a far higher proportion of black students. And even with the high percentage of non-whites in both schools, the racial makeup of the Jordan High School volleyball team differs from the one for Paetow High School at first glance.

x PAETOW’S volleyball team is diverse. The same can barely be said for Jordan’s . pic.twitter.com/i7g6rkKQ4j — d (@desaniwitdadrip) September 7, 2022

It’s troublesome that, over the past week or so, there are many high profile racist incidents in school sporting events nationwide, be it at a BYU match against Duke or a game in suburban San Antonio. Yes, the vicinity of Jordan High School is known to have its black population shrink for the past 10 years or so, even as Fort Bend County as a whole is growing more diverse. Yes, brazen racism is a longtime major problem among fans in sporting events. But it still doesn’t excuse a parent receiving insufficient feedback from administration or school security.

x 3. To make matters worse when the administration and school security were informed they did literally nothing and dismissed us. I have since emailed formal complaints to the school AD and they have opened an investigation. — Lakeesha Kemp-Adams (@KeeshaKA) September 4, 2022

The Katy Independent School District have emailed a letter to the families of Paetow High School.

September 5, 2022



Dear Paetow High School Parents/Guardians and Staff,



District and campus administration have been made aware of inappropriate behaviors exhibited by individuals attending the Paetow High School versus Jordan High School volleyball game this past Friday, and the subsequent videos circulating on social media.



We want you to know that campus and district administrators are investigating. The behaviors exhibited in the video footage viewed are not in line with the values of our District.



Both the physical safety and well-being of all Katy ISD students is our District’s utmost priority. We are committed in policy, principle and practice to maintaining a school environment that is inclusive and prohibits inappropriate behaviors.



Your patience is appreciated as this matter is investigated and addressed.



In the meantime, should you have questions or information to provide concerning this matter, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected].



Katy ISD

However, the Katy Independent School District gained notoriety for its response toward diversity issues, which can be described as tone-deaf at best. Amid rumblings of racism within the school district, the district initially cancelled a visit from children’s author Jerry Craft due to accusations of “Marxism” and “critical race theory”; although, they would reverse that decision later on, with students having the option to opt-out from Craft’s virtual event.

x Nope Katy ISD is racist ... me and my team got called a nigga by a group of white females 🤷🏾‍♀️ https://t.co/eR7l8lLTPT — Camille💕 (@__laurannnn) February 28, 2018

x Katy ISD telling their 2020 graduates to not kneel or sit during the National Anthem, but staying quiet during the racist exposure of other students is embarrassing and disgusting. — sammy (@svsutx) June 25, 2020

But even if the Katy Independent School District had no racism directed at black students, they still have trouble accommodating their LGBTQ+ pupils.

x Katy ISD blocks LGBTQ+ resources, suicide prevention websites from students https://t.co/tufoI0SxH1 — Evan (@evan7257) November 24, 2021

x Just got a response from KISD saying that the site is blocked because it includes a chat function, which is meant for struggling youth to interact and offer each other support. This aspect of the website has not precluded countless other school districts from allowing access. — Hannah Dellinger (@hdellingermedia) January 25, 2022

Remember, when finding a community, be extremely careful approaching the “great schools” mantra.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/7/2121233/-High-school-students-caught-on-tape-making-monkey-noises-toward-visiting-black-volleyball-players

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