— Moses Lake, WA
The Moses Lake School District says a third-party is investigating after reports surfaced that players from the Moses Lake High School Boys Basketball Team made “racial comments” during Saturday night’s varsity game against Davis High School.
Moses Lake School District Superintendent Dr. Joshua Meek says district officials were made aware of allegations that ‘racial slurs’ were made between students, athletes, parents and those in attendance.
“The Moses Lake School District has elected to have a third-party independent investigation completed. The purpose of this investigation is to investigate the allegations, provide a factual assessment of what transpired, determine which of these allegations are credible, and recommendations for corrective action. This investigation will begin immediately. This investigation is being conducted by a third-party to protect the integrity and seriousness of the claims,” the Moses Lake School District stated Monday evening in a press release.
The district added that the claims are being taken seriously and have warranted immediate action. Dr. Meek said he has received over 20 reports of what occurred during the game and proclaimed that school district officials are working diligently to investigate the claims expeditiously.
“We are deeply troubled by these claims and reports, but are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this quickly. I have received over 20 reports of what transpired at the athletic event. These will all be given to the investigator. Moses Lake is a very diverse school system, where over 53% of our students are non-white. A culture of hate is in no way acceptable, and if these reports are validated corrective action will occur. But most importantly this must serve as a continuing lesson of acceptance and respect that we teach our students,” Dr. Meek stated.
An athlete at Moses Lake High School, whose identity is being protected, told MLWA7 Media Saturday night that while they acknowledged there was a disturbance between parents from Moses Lake and Yakima after the game, no players from Moses Lake High School made racial remarks to players from Davis High School.
Arquette Joe told KREM 2 that he was called racial slurs when he was a student at Davis High School in 2002. Joe said his 15-year-son is experiencing what he went through in high school — being called racial slurs.
If you were in attendance at the basketball game and have information to provide, you are asked to email jmeek@mlsd161.org.
Written by MLWA 7 Media Staff