Racial slurs at Arlington Heights-North Side football game spark calls for accountability
Arlington Heights students in the stands directed racial slurs toward Hispanic North Side cheerleaders at a Fort Worth ISD high school football game on Friday at Farrington Field, according to students and school officials.
“The behavior described during our football game by several members of the FWISD community does not represent Arlington Heights and is no way tolerated,” Arlington Heights student Emma Eliz Barberena wrote in a statement on Instagram on behalf of the school’s student leadership.
Dr. Camille Rodriguez, District One trustee on the Fort Worth school board, also released a statement.
“As a proud Mexican American born on the North Side of Fort Worth, and STILL a resident, I am appalled by the racist behavior displayed at the Arlington Heights - Northside High School football game on Friday night,” wrote Rodriguez. “There is no place in 2024 for racial epithets to be hurled at our students and their families. Our students and North Side community deserve better.”
Alexander Montalvo, a Fort Worth resident, said the students involved should have been removed and the game should have been stopped until adults could ensure the North Side cheerleaders’ safety.
“The students should have been protected,” Montalvo wrote on Facebook. “This is a failure of adults in many areas. We need to be united and call for accountability. Northside and Arlington Heights let’s come together to ensure this is not repeated and not normalized.”
Rodriguez called for Kevin Lynch, the District 5 trustee, whose district includes Arlington Heights, and the rest of the Fort Worth ISD school board to denounce the behavior.
“We are better than this,” Rodriguez said. “We MUST lead by example. IT IS EASIER TO TEAR DOWN THAN BUILD UP!!”
Fort Worth ISD released a statement to the Star-Telegram, saying they are aware of the incident and actively investigating.
“As of now, we refer to this as an alleged incident because we are still in the process of gathering facts,” the statement read. “There have been multiple versions of events circulating, and it is important that we fully understand what transpired before making definitive conclusions. Fort Worth ISD does not condone the use of racial slurs or any form of discrimination, and we take these allegations very seriously.
“In line with our commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all students, FWISD has initiated a thorough investigation. Our Athletics Department, Safety and Security teams, and both school principals began their inquiry over the weekend.”
Fort Worth ISD’s investigation is guided by FWISD Board Policy FFH, which “ensures students’ right to be free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.”
The statement emphasized that Fort Worth ISD does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment or hate speech and will take appropriate action in accordance with district policies if the investigation confirms racial slurs were used.
“Consequences for such behavior will be serious and will apply to anyone found responsible, whether students, staff, or spectators,” the FWISD statement read.
The statement mentions FWISD is “committed to transparency.” A statement will be released once the investigation concludes.
The Arlington Heights student section had a United States theme. Students wore red, white, and blue and waved multiple American flags, including Donald Trump flags.
“To address the spirit theme, our Cheerleading team pre-plans all themes when the football schedule is announced, months in advance,” said Barberena, the Arlington Heights student. “’USA’ was chosen for this past week’s game in commemoration of 9/11. There was no ill-intent toward Northside HS or Hispanic Heritage Month behind this choice.”
A letter-writing campaign has started through the Action Network and in partnership with Defense of Democracy. Sponsored by FWISD 4 All, the sample letter, which more than 200 people had signed as of about noon Monday, demands accountability for students involved and Fort Worth ISD employees who did not intervene.
The letter also called for the reinstatement of the racial equity committee, and a public commitment and plan to identify additional policy needs to address racist incidents.
This story was originally published September 16, 2024 at 12:11 PM.
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