Lincoln-Way East accused of second incident of racist behavior by Homewood-Flossmoor

Homewood-Flossmoor High School leaders say they're seeking possible legal action after a second racist taunting incident involving them and Lincoln-Way East happened over the weekend.

The incident targeted the schools' girls' cross-country teams one day after a similar incident at a varsity football game.

Superintendent of the Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233 Dr. Jennifer Norrell, told CBS News Chicago that after two reported incidents in a single weekend, their attorney has been in contact with state agencies about whether or not the next step will be filing a lawsuit.

She says in this day and age, she's surprised to see young people engage in such behavior.

"They don't deserve to have to feel and wonder every time they get ready to compete whether or not they're going to be disrespected," she said.

Dr. Norrell said the first incident happened on Friday when students reported that Lincoln-Way East fans mimicked monkeys while taunting Homewood-Flossmoor fans in the crowd. A video posted on social media appears to show some Lincoln-Way East students on the practice field making the inappropriate gestures.

Lincoln Way East apologized for the behavior in a statement, saying the students were not members of the football team, they had been identified, and they would be disciplined appropriately. Due to them being students, they wouldn't say how.

Then on Saturday, Homewood-Flossmoor leaders said a second time, this time involving the girls' cross-country teams, sharing a description of one of the Lincoln-Way coaches making comments about running "past those monkeys."

The athletes then reported that some of the team began cheering and making "noises that were racist" and "monkey gestures."

"When we heard that there was an adult that made comments, it was very disheartening," Dr. Norrell said.

In a statement, Lincoln-Way East said they investigated the cross-country team's allegation, but claimed there was a misunderstanding:

"Lincoln-Way East coaches merely recounted a well-known story about an area of the Lyons Township course referred to as 'The Jungle,'" the statement read.

"Looking at it, those kids were very comfortable making the gestures that they did, which referred to me that it's not the first time they've done it," said Percy Scott, president of the Homewood-Flossmoor Parent Teacher Student Association 

In response to the incident on Friday, the Illinois High School Association said they strongly condemn the racist actions and will be working with both schools to make sure "an appropriate resolution is reached."

"We want to hold them accountable, and so that's what I mean. I think there needs to be some conversations," Scott said.

Dr. Norrell said that trauma response teams were on campus Tuesday to counsel students.   

Lincoln-Way East to hold walkout in solidarity with Homewood-Flossmoor

Some Lincoln-Way East students are planning a walkout on Wednesday in solidarity with Homewood-Flossmoor.

"Most people want to see them expelled. I think restorative justice would do them better. Let's just say they get a 14-day suspension and then we get sensitivity training they can better what they did and the magnitude of what they did," said Shagmond Lowery.  

Lowery created and runs the school safety app My Pal Schools. It operates in 200 schools in eight states, including Illinois. Students can alert staff to many issues. He says the accused Lincoln-Way East students most likely did not just come up with the taunts. 

"We talk about sensitivity training. You might have been saying this at home or with your buddies joking around. But now, you've got to the point where you deliberately said this out in public and now you've damaged your reputation, you've hurt other people, you've damaged your community," he said.

Which is why students at Lincoln-Way East plan to walk out of class to show these classmates' actions do not reflect the greater body. 

The walkout will take place on Wednesday around 11 a.m. The school's principal said they won't stop students from participating. 

The Illinois High School Athletic Association said in a statement that they're launching a separate investigation into the coach's actions in the second alleged incident.