King Philip Athletes Suspended For 'Racist' And 'Sexual' Comments

WRENTHAM, MA – Several athletes at King Philip Regional High School have been suspended and could face legal action for allegedly directing "racist slurs" at their teammate and making "inappropriate sexual comments" toward the student's mother, Superintendent Elizabeth Zielinski said. Zielinski posted the steps her administration has taken to address the allegations on the regional school district's website this week.

According to Zielinski, "several" athletes used "inappropriate and racist" slurs to refer to their teammate directly and shared the phone number of the student's mother with others at the school. Zielinski said many students made repeated calls to the athlete's mother, some of which included "inappropriate sexual comments."

District officials notified Wrentham and State Police of the allegations, "since the actions of these students can be considered a hate crime," Zielinski said. The athletes involved were subject to game and school suspensions.

"I want to emphasize this type of behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our school community," Zielinski wrote. "It not only violates the policies of the King Philip Regional School District, it creates an unwelcoming and hostile environment for our students and families."

Zielinski added that a cultural proficiency group has been established at the school to "improve our district's ability to address racism and understand the complex issues involved in race relations." She asked parents and children to participate in upcoming group events and join the King Philip community in having an "honest, constructive and thoughtful conversation about harmful behaviors."

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