Racist slurs left in Del Campo High football team's locker room at Vista Del Lago High
FOLSOM - Del Campo High football players were the apparent target of racist slurs and possible vandalism after Friday night's game against Vista Del Lago High.
On Friday, Del Campo played at Vista Del Lago High, which is in Folsom. After the game, Del Campo players went back to the locker room only to find that their belongings had been scattered about and "racial slurs" had been written on a whiteboard, according to Del Campo High Principal Greg Snyder. He didn't elaborate on what was written.
In an email to the school body and parents, Synder called the slurs an unacceptable "act of hate and racism." He went on to say:
"We are in communication with Vista Del Lago and we are doing everything possible to support their administration as they work to determine who is responsible and hold them accountable. Our priority now is the wellbeing of our student athletes and the impacts this act has created for them. Our coaches and administrators will be working with the team to ensure our students have necessary supports."
Folsom Unified School District spokesperson Angela Griffin Ankhely stated that the district doesn't know who the perpetrator(s) are, but that they are beginning an investigation into the incident. District officials are in contact with Del Camp High's coaching and administrative staff, she wrote.
Ankhely also issued this statement:
"FCUSD denounces and abhors racism. We are appalled by the racist remarks that were written. These do not reflect the values of the District, Vista del Lago, or the football program. FCUSD and its schools will not tolerate acts of racism, hate, or bullying and treat such egregious offenses with the fullest extent of disciplinary measures allowable."
In 2017, Vista Del Lago High students were at the center of controversy over whether students chanting "USA" could be interpreted as inappropriate and intolerant. The chants, which were used at school events, caused chatter campus-wide after staff brought it up during a leadership class.
At the time, at some schools across the country, the chants appeared to be used in derogatory ways toward opponents of different ethnicities. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which oversees high school athletics, addressed the concerns with local districts.
"There's a time and a place to yell that and cheer that," said CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner Mike Garrison.
The district says there has never been a complaint about USA chants at the school
