NEW PALESTINE, Ind. — At a recent girls’ volleyball match between New Palestine High School and Pike High School parents of the Pike players say a New Pal player was seen making racist gestures at Pike players.
“Our children were being called monkeys and gestures were made,” said Sabrina Dryden to WISH-TV. “The typical gestures like scratching under your arms, patting your head, and beating your chest. To say they were devastated would be an understatement.”
Dryden said a couple of the girls were in tears over the gestures during the match this past Saturday. Unfortunately, some of the other parents say this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
They are calling on the two schools and the IHSAA to get deeply involved in making sure something like this doesn’t happen again.
“There needs to be consequences, so for the rest of that child’s life whenever she thinks about a monkey she knows never to say that to a person of color again for as long as she breathes,” said Rhonda King, a parent of a Pike freshman.
New Palestine High School said in a statement that the student who made the gestures has been “disciplined.” The statement did not give any details as to what the discipline was. The Pike parents were hoping to see more be done.
“The answer that we got that the girls would be disciplined and talked to just doesn’t seem fair,” said Rachel Crowder. “There should be some type of actual consequence.”
They reached out to the IHSAA for their take on the matter. The IHSAA gave the following statement:
“We have been in contact with administrators at both schools, and believe that appropriate disciplinary action and proactive measures to correct unacceptable behavior are underway. As educators, we must use this as a teachable moment.”
