Foothill principal Nick Stephany issued an apology Friday to Tustin High students and parents for the action of one or two students who held up a sign with a deragatory Spanish slur on it during Wednesday’s Tustin-Foothill boys basketball game.
No. 8 Tustin defeated No. 3 Foothill, 43-42, in a nonleague game at Foothill in front of a capacity crowd. Emotions were high during the nonleague game which went down to the final seconds.
A number of students from both teams brought signs to encourage their teams. But one sign, held by either one or two students in the Foothill student section, has caused a stir.
Stephany said he became aware of it after someone sent him a link to an article on the OC Weekly website which showed at least one student sholding up the sign during the game. He then issued an apology letter to Tustin students.
“This morning, I became aware of a sign that was held up at the Tustin vs. Foothill basketball game Wednesday night that was not appropriate and offensive,” Stephany said in his letter to Tustin students and parents. “I am truly embarrassed and sorry that this happened at an otherwise positive event for the community.
“The actions by this student do not reflect the values or standards of Foothill High School.
“The Foothill High School administration will take appropriate steps to ensure that events of this nature do not occur again. The student involved will be held responsible and future games will have practices in place that prevent such events.
“On behalf of Foothill High School’s administration, staff, student body and community, I extend my deepest apologies to the Tustin High School community and pledge that this will never be tolerated.”
Mark Eliot, director of communications and public Information for Tustin Unified School District, said Friday that no one objected to officials at the game Wednesday night and it was not clear how long the students were holding up the sign.
“Obviously, it didn’t catch the attention of the administration until the following day when the story came out and the picture was shown,” Eliot said. “They (the administration) immediately took action. I can’t comment on the actual disciplinary action.
“But they are taking action against the one or two students who brought the sign. Both of them are very remorseful about their actions and they’re both being disciplined.”
The students were identified by the picture that was published, he added.
It’s not clear who took the picture that was published by OC Weekly.
“I think it was brought to their attention in the article and the photo,” Eliot said. “The game was very intense and all eyes were on the court. As the principal said, this doesn’t reflect the feeling or views or opinions of the school or the district. It’s unacceptable behavior, but it’s the action of one or two students and not the student population. It’s an unfortunate incident and I don’t think even the kids who brought the sign knew what they were saying.”
Eliot said Foothill officials plan to address soon the matter of signs at sporting events in the future. It’s not clear whether the student or students involved will be allowed to attend future games.
Tustin boys basketball coach Ringo Bossenmeyer, asked about the incident, said, “All comments must come from our administration or TUSD.”
Stephany also sent a letter to Foothill students and parents that issued a warning to students about unacceptable behavior at sporting events and on social media.
“This (incident) has caused a great deal of embarrassment to the Foothill student body, staff, and community,” Stephany wrote in his letter to the Foothill students and parents. “I am extremely disappointed that this game was tainted by the actions of a select few of our students that were present at the game.
“I am also disappointed that this was allowed to occur. Not only did the staff miss this, but the students did as well. We all have a responsibility to police ourselves and to hold ourselves to high standards.
“This event at our game is unacceptable and is embarrassing to our school and our community. We have had a positive year at Foothill so far. Good things have been happening for our school and our students, and a simple action like this can counter all of the hard, positive work that our students have done.
“At this point, students that tweet or post offensive comments or pictures will have school based disciplinary consequences accordingly. I encourage all students to abstain from all social media regarding this issue.
“I am taking this matter extremely seriously. I have identified the students involved and have taken appropriate action. I will make every effort to educate our students so that they will understand the significance and severity of this incident and conduct themselves appropriately moving forward.”
