6 Lincoln-Way East HS Students Dodge Expulsion, Voluntarily Withdraw From School

FRANKFORT, IL — Six Lincoln-Way East students who participated in racist taunts at a Homewood-Flossmoor football game Sept. 4 will leave the school voluntarily, the Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education approved Thursday.

The board—which recommended expulsion for the students determined to be involved—voted unanimously to accept the students' voluntary withdrawal.

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The students were captured on video by several in the stands during the two teams' varsity game Sept. 4, mimicking the movements and sounds of monkeys, flapping their arms and crawling on the ground. As the video gained traction Saturday, Lincoln-Way District 210 issued a statement calling the incident "inappropriate and offensive behavior," and stressing that the students involved are not members of the school's football team.

Homewood-Flossmoor High School called the students' actions "a very bad choice to engage in disrespectful and racist harassment towards HF students seated in the bleachers."

Following an initial statement by Lincoln-Way District 210 the day after the incident, Lincoln-Way East Principal Toriano Griggs issued a follow-up statement, calling the students' actions "hurtful and completely unacceptable.

"I want to be very clear: the racial slurs, monkey noises, and racist gestures that occurred Friday night were hurtful and completely unacceptable," Griggs said. "This behavior has no place at Lincoln-Way East or anywhere else."

Griggs called the incident "deeply disappointing" and said that the district's responsibility "goes beyond discipline.

"We have heard from students, particularly some of our Black students, about the hurt, anger, embarrassment, and disappointment this incident has caused," he wrote. "We are listening to them and working to ensure they feel supported, respected, and valued at East."

At Thursday's board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Scott Tingley spoke again about the incident and explained the process that led to the board's actions.

"We became aware of the students' behavior late Friday night, Sept. 4 into Saturday morning, Sept. 5," Tingley said. "The district promptly released a statement condemning the students' behavior and apologizing to the Homewood-Flossmoor community. I made clear the students' behavior does not reflect the expectations and values we have for LW students.

"From that point forward, however, my responsibility as superintendent was to ensure the law and board of education policies were followed at every step with respect to those students' discipline."

The administration, Tingley said, "conducted a thorough and timely investigation, carefully assessed each student's level of involvement, and offered every one of them the right to be heard.

"This investigation—which involved interviewing numerous students, reviewing multiple video recordings and angles, and speaking with their attorneys—took the administration only eight school days and ultimately resulted in the administration recommending expulsion for the students determined to have been involved."

The parents chose to act otherwise.

"The parents of those students have chosen, however, to voluntarily withdraw their children from Lincoln-Way East High School and forfeit all student privileges, rather than proceed through the expulsion process," Tingley said.

"Given the nature of the investigation and the due process requirements involved, I am confident that this matter was handled as quickly and responsibly as possible."

In a statement provided last week, the IHSA addressed the fans' behavior, noting that the school is cooperating in determining next steps.

"The IHSA strongly condemns the racist actions that were perpetrated by a small number of Lincoln-Way East High School students in attendance at its football game against Homewood-Flossmoor High School on September 4," said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson.

"High school sports are defined by community and camaraderie, and every high school student-athlete in Illinois deserves to compete in a safe and respectful environment. These values are requisite to remain a member in good standing of the IHSA, and the Lincoln-Way East administration has affirmed that they recognize the serious nature of this situation and are acting accordingly. We will be working with both schools to make sure an appropriate resolution is reached and to be a resource in any way that we can."

One Lincoln-Way East student started an online petition that garnered 1,300 signatures, seeking the expulsion of the students involved. More than three dozen students participated in a walkout Sept. 9, to protest their classmates' racist behavior days prior.

"No place for racism," they chanted.

Second incident still under investigation

Following the board's votes to accept the students' voluntary withdrawals, Tingley addressed a second incident that reportedly took place a day later, involving the Lincoln-Way East and Homewood-Flossmoor girls' cross country teams.

In that incident, three Homewood-Flossmoor athletes reported hearing a Lincoln-Way East coach encouraging the school's athletes to run "past those monkeys," with some of the athletes allegedly cheering and making "noises that were racist" and "monkey gestures."

Tingley said Thursday that the IHSA continues to investigate the incident, and that no further comment will be issued at this time.

In a previous statement released Sept. 8, the district said its staff and athletes were not aware of the Sept. 4 incident at the time of the meet.

"Based on interviews of its cross-country coaching staff and female student-athletes this morning, Lincoln-Way's administration learned that, prior to the meet on Saturday morning, Lincoln-Way East coaches merely recounted a well-known story about an area of the Lyons Township course referred to as 'the jungle,'" officials said.

"This area is labeled as such on publicly available maps of the course. According to the coaching staff and student-athletes, at the time of the meet Saturday morning, they were not even aware of the events that took place on Friday, September 4, 2026, at the schools' football game at Homewood-Flossmoor High School. In addition, Lyons Township meet officials confirmed no complaint or any form of racial allegation involving Lincoln-Way East was brought to their attention.

"... the Lincoln-Way administration is confident that neither its staff nor student athletes intended to harass, intimidate or offend any of their competitors or those competitors' families," the District's statement reads. "Nevertheless, the entire Lincoln-Way school community recognizes the impact and sensitivity of the matter, particularly after the egregious and intolerable behavior displayed by certain Lincoln-Way East students during Friday's football game.

"Lincoln-Way also acknowledges the immediate need to actively foster more cultural understanding and awareness within its school community. It does not, in any way, condone the actions of those students. We also apologize to all those involved. We are committed to ensuring that every student feels safe and included at school, and we will continue to prioritize racial understanding, inclusion, and awareness amongst the entire Lincoln-Way community. "

Tingley said that the District awaits the completion of the IHSA's investigation, and will issue another statement when it is clear no other investigation is pending.

District 210 Assistant Superintendent Renae Goldie has contacted 28 organizations and/or individuals that provide training and support in areas including restorative justice, equity, inclusion and wellness, Tingley added.

"Recent events have reinforced that there is still work to be done in this area," he added, "and we are committing to doing that work moving forward."