Tam High football team on probation after racist remarks

MILL VALLEY - The Tamalpais High School football team was put on probation after alleged incidents of racism.

The Marin Independent Journal first reported incidents involving remarks made by some players about, and toward, a Black teammate.

The district said in an Oct. 25 letter to the team and their families, that if there is another incident, the team will potentially forfeit games or the entire season.

KTVU obtained that letter on Wednesday, where Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Kelly Lara said she was aware of "two racial bias" incidents involving "dehumanizing speech" where anti-Black statements were made.

"This is unacceptable," she wrote. The ripple of harm is not limited to the football team; this also hurts the wider Tam High community of Black students, staff, and families."

She reminded the community that all students were provided with the district policy that forbids the N-word and other racist language. Violating this policy, she wrote, could mean suspension and even possible expulsion.

The district has a zero-tolerance policy about this, she wrote.

"There are no excuses, Lara wrote. "I am concerned that there is a culture of anti-Blackness on the Tam High Football team and a climate that allows anti-Black, dehumanizing speech to perpetuate."

This is not the first incidence of racism at Mt. Tam High.

One of the more recent situations was last fall, when some students made a video containing a racial slur. 

She also implored others to not stand by quietly. Saying nothing, she added, is essentially condoning racist behavior.

It wasn't immediately clear how long the probation would last, but Lara wrote that any future racist incidents would result in the "immediate forfeiture of games or the termination of
the football season."