Mira Costa Football Game Marred By Racist Incident
Oct 08, 2022 08:58AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
Mira Costa students and staff stand together in the name of unity during halftime at last week's football game - an event that unfortunately got overshadowed by a racist incident involving MBMS students. Photo via Mira Costa High School.
A Mira Costa High School football game last week was marred by a hate incident involving a group of Manhattan Beach Middle School students using a racial epithet and throwing objects at the Culver City team.
District officials reported the situation and said that the students had been identified and were being disciplined, although they said that they were not able to divulge specific details of the punishment.
However, one consequence is that the district is now requiring a parent to accompany and supervise any MBMS student who comes to a Mira Costa football game (for the rest of the season). MBMS students will be required to show their student ID card to be admitted, and to keep that card with them at all times.
Unfortunately, the incident distracted from a "Unity Campaign to Uplift Halftime" presentation led by senior Brent Torres that included a large number of students and staff. The presentation included a speech and a commitment to maintain a kind and inclusive environment on campus and in the community (pictured above).
The incident is yet another one in a string of racist and hate graffiti that has plagued Manhattan Beach schools over the past year.
Message from Superintendent
Superintendent John Bowes on Friday sent the following message to MBUSD families on Friday:
MBUSD is a school community that aspires to be a safe place for everyone. It is with sadness and frustration that I share the following information about a hate incident that occurred last Friday at Mira Costa’s Waller Stadium during a football game with the visiting Culver City High School team. A group of MBMS students used the “N-word” and threw items at our visiting guests from Culver City. This was deeply appalling and highly offensive, and these students’ actions have impacted both communities.
MBUSD is a school community that aspires to be a safe place for everyone. It is with sadness and frustration that I share the following information about a hate incident that occurred last Friday at Mira Costa’s Waller Stadium during a football game with the visiting Culver City High School team. A group of MBMS students used the “N-word” and threw items at our visiting guests from Culver City. This was deeply appalling and highly offensive, and these students’ actions have impacted both communities.
I
have said it before, and I want to be clear. Racism and acts of hate
are unacceptable and will not be tolerated at our school sites by anyone
in our community. Our community should be a place where all individuals
feel respected and supported, including visitors to our campuses.
District
and school officials have conducted a thorough and full investigation
in conjunction with the Manhattan Beach Police Department School
Resource Officers who serve MBUSD schools. This has resulted in
disciplinary consequences for the individuals involved. The law prevents
us from sharing specific details involving the discipline of students,
but we can share that this incident has been taken very seriously and
that we have handled it in alignment with student discipline policies,
procedures, and law.
In
addition, school and district leaders, along with community members,
have been in contact with the Culver City community. Board President
Sally Peel, MCHS Principal Karina Gerger, and I have each spoken with
our counterparts to express our dismay at the outrageous and bigoted
actions of these students.
All
attendees, including middle school students at a high school event, are
expected to behave responsibly and show good judgment. While we
understand that there were only a few students who participated in this
egregious, racist behavior, we know that there are times when the
actions of a few can have consequences for all. We have updated
attendance rules for entry to Waller Stadium. Effective immediately, and
for the rest of this football season:
1)
MBMS students will be permitted to attend Costa football games ONLY if
accompanied by their parent who stays at the game and provides
supervision.
2)
MBMS students must present their school identification card prior to
entry to Waller Stadium and keep it with them at all times. Students
must present their school identification card upon request by a school
administrator or campus supervisor and security personnel.
3)Attendees who are MBUSD elementary students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for entry.
4) If
you are attending the game to cheer on our Mira Costa team, you must
enter through the Stadium Way main gate on Peck Avenue or through the
west entrance on Meadows Avenue.
5)
Attendees to our campus from the visiting team will enter only through
the Peck Field entrance via the track to the visitors' section of the
bleachers.
6) As a reminder, there is already a no-re-entry policy at our Varsity Mira Costa football games.
Let me ask all parents to review these rules with their student(s).
Actions
like those taken by our students last week adversely affect our efforts
to build a strong and inclusive community. Any time something like this
occurs, we must work to redouble our efforts to combat the sentiments
expressed by - and perceptions of our community created by - these
individuals. Our Board Goal #2 focuses
on our commitment to continuing to develop a climate of care, equity,
diversity, social justice, and inclusion in all MBUSD schools. To that
end, our Inclusion Stand Up Commitment, which
our Board of Trustees has endorsed and which we ask all students and
families to support, says that we will act with empathy, speak out
against prejudice, bigotry, and racism, and protect our neighbors by
being inclusive and building communities where everyone feels welcome.
To be clear, this includes offering an environment beyond the classroom,
and including athletic events and activities, that embraces individuals
from all backgrounds.
Editor's note: In Northern California, two high schools have ended their teams' football seasons over racist incidents in the last few weeks.
