Allegations Of Racism During TVHS Game Mostly Unfounded: TVUSD

TEMECULA, CA — An investigation by the Temecula Valley Unified School District into allegations of racial slurs made by some Temecula Valley High School students during an Aug. 20 Golden Bears home football game were mostly unfounded, according to an update Tuesday night by TVUSD Superintendent Jodi McClay.

The investigation into 21 allegations of racially charged behavior against Valley View High School students found that 17 of the allegations were unsubstantiated while four were "partially substantiated," McClay said during the update that was part of a regularly scheduled TVUSD board meeting.

"One incident is simply too many," said McClay, who cautioned that while the TVUSD investigation is complete, an investigation into the incident by the CIF continues.

"The fact that we had students from another school leave one of our campuses feeling so horribly has truly been devastating to us all," the superintendent said.

According to bystanders at last month's game, racial slurs were hurled at the Valley View High School cheerleaders who were on hand to support their varsity players. It's unclear how many of the Eagles' players and coaches heard the alleged hateful language, but the VVHS team lost 52-0.

According to online chatter, the cheerleaders feared for their safety. The Moreno Valley school is home to a diverse campus culture that includes mostly Hispanic and Black students.

The TVUSD investigation included interviews with more than 100 students and staff, but access to VVHS witnesses was not readily available, according to McClay.

"We weren't allowed to speak with their coaches," she said. Many of the VVHS students who were interviewed for the TVUSD investigation were not at the Friday night game, according to the superintendent.

Moreno Valley Unified School District Superintendent Martinrex Kedziora said in an emailed statement Thursday that the districts have worked together.

"We continue the discussions with the Temecula Valley Unified School District as well as CIF. Both districts have concluded internal investigations, but the investigation with CIF is pending.

"We want students from both districts to work together to listen and understand each other. The superintendent of Temecula Valley Unified School District and I continue to communicate and collaborate with each other on next steps and the details of the events. We want to empower all students to become future-ready and positively impact the world," the statement said.

During Tuesday's board meeting, McClay said that TVHS and the TVUSD have taken steps to ensure campuses are safe and welcoming for all, including:

• Establishing a "We Commit" document that both teams sign off on before each game — any allegations that arise during a game will halt play and an investigation will begin immediately;
• a visiting school will have an administrator on hand;
• fan behavior will be monitored and CIF-issued "fan expectations" will be read over loudspeakers several times during games;
• restrooms and snack bars will be available on both sides of the field;
• athletic directors from both teams will check in with referees for updates on player behavior during games;
• and separate entrance and exit gates will be provided.

McClay said that TVHS has helped lead the district in the areas of access and inclusion over the last six years. The work has included many "difficult conversations" that are expected to continue.

Following last month's game, TVHS Principal Allen Williams sent a letter to the Golden Bears community that stated, in part, "Our school district embraces diversity and strongly condemns hate speech and offensive, hateful language or racial intolerance of any kind on the sports fields, in school buildings, or anywhere on or off school premises. We will hold anyone found to have used such language while representing any of our schools accountable for their words and actions."

Several TVHS students held a rally Aug. 23 protesting against racism.

While the investigation continues within the CIF, details were not available.

"The CIF Southern Section investigative process is still ongoing and as such we shall not be sharing any findings or commenting at this time," CIF Southern Section Assistant Commissioner Thom Simmons said in an emailed statement Thursday.