Parents call for change after racist gestures at high school volleyball game

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Parents of Pike girls volleyball players are calling for actionable changes in high school sports and meaningful repercussions for a member of the New Palestine girls volleyball team who taunted their daughters with racist monkey gestures during an invitational volleyball tournament.

Sabrina Dryden, the parent of a senior player, said, “Our children were being called monkeys and gestures were made, 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 two girls were visibly in tears from the Saturday incident at Pike High School.

She said when her daughter was a freshman when similar hate was displayed from a different school’s team.

“My daughter is a senior, but when she was a freshman we had a similar incident happen,” Dryden said. “The team was making monkey jungle calls, and we had it on film and we had reported it, and the school said they were sorry and the person was being punished. It felt like it was swept under the rug. It felt like that. So, here we were in this situation again.”

In a statement, New Palestine High School said it reviewed the footage as a part of its investigation and then disciplined the student involved, but the school would not share exactly how the student was disciplined.

“This week, our athletic department became aware of allegations of inappropriate behavior by a member of our high school volleyball team during a match at the Pike High School Invitational. Our department has thoroughly investigated this matter, including reviewing the film of the match and speaking to coaches, players, parents, community members and MSD Pike administrators who attended the event. We are grateful for Pike High School’s collaboration throughout the investigation. In accordance with the school’s Athletic Code of Conduct, New Palestine’s student-athlete involved in this matter has been disciplined. We strive for our student-athletes to represent New Palestine High School and our town with commitment, character and class. Unfortunately, we fell short of this goal this weekend. As an athletic department and school administration, we see this as a teachable moment. Actions and words matter. We hold our athletes and coaches to a high standard and expect them to treat all fellow competitors with dignity and respect. We thank our community for its support and look forward to a great rest of the season.”

Al Cooper, athletic director, and Jim Voelz, principal, New Palestine High School

These five moms said this is not enough, they want direct consequences and their children to be protected from further harm.

Rhonda King, the parent of a freshman player, said, “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. Because every time our children have this situation they’re going to remember it, it’s going to stick with them.”

These women brought up multiple solutions including:

• A direct apology from the responsible player.
• Diversity training for coaches and athletes.
• A zero-tolerance policy from the Indiana High School Athletic Association with punishments such as a suspension from one or multiple games.
• One mom suggested suspending an offending team for an entire season.

Tarryn Joiner, another parent of a freshman, said, “She has never had her own personal experiences up until now, and to see this is what she will remember as her first experience as a high school athlete really did make me serious and frustrated because I believed and I had hoped she wouldn’t have to experience the same things I did growing up in North Carolina.”

“We have to reaffirm them about things that they already know but because of an incident, they feel less than,” King said. “It brought me to tears.”

In a statement to News 8, the Indiana High School Athletic Association called the incident a “teachable moment.”

“The Indiana High School Athletic Association is aware of the incident that occurred during a New Palestine-Pike volleyball match last Saturday. 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 teachable moment. It is never appropriate to make fun of, taunt, threaten, or belittle anyone over race, religion, nationality, or any other difference. Instead, those differences are to be respected, celebrated, and championed. We look forward to the day when we do not have to have this type of conversation. Until that day, however, we must continue to educate the young people we serve.”

Paul Neidig, IHSAA commissioner

Rachel Crowder, a parent of a junior, said, “The answer that we got that the girls would be disciplined and talked to just doesn’t seem fair. There should be some type of actual consequence.”

Nicole Kouyate, another freshman parent, said, “The IHSAA, if they don’t do anything about this, it’s just going to continue. It’s going to continue like it has been.”

“The fact that they have to process that and understand that,” Joiner said. “It’s difficult to take the high road and the fact that they are able to do that is very commendable.”