Police Investigate Hazing On HS Basketball Team Bus: Reports

Law enforcement is investigating a hazing incident that resulted in the expulsion of a group of Rogers High School 10th-graders and occurred on a bus after a junior varsity game last month, according to police and media reports.

Three school employees on the bus were fired from coaching positions but are still on staff at Rogers High, The Minnesota Star Tribune reported in an in-depth story about the incident, citing parents whose children were on board. Independent School District 728 first expelled two students but later expelled another four after videos of the incident surfaced, parents told the Tribune.

The hazing happened Feb. 27, according to the Tribune, citing parents, some of whom requested anonymity. Rogers High Activities Director Dan Ohlgren, in a March 2 email to parents, acknowledged an investigation of “potentially inappropriate behavior” on the bus, the newspaper reported.
Superintendent Andy Almos declined to talk about the hazing with the Tribune, citing confidentiality, but did tell the newspaper the district’s anti-hazing policy calls for punishment such as potential expulsion.

The Rogers Police Department received a report on March 2 about “incidents that occurred on a Rogers High School boys’ basketball team bus while traveling to and from an away game,” the agency said Wednesday in a news release, noting the events occurred outside its jurisdiction.

“These incidents are currently under investigation, led by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office,” the news release said. “Our department is assisting as requested by the lead agency. Due to the nature of the incidents and the involvement of minors, no additional information will be released at this time.”

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Records Supervisor Lacey Grinager confirmed an active investigation to the Tribune but declined to discuss it with the newspaper.