Colorado's Lutheran High School athletic department on probation following racist behavior

Lutheran High School's athletic department has been put on probation for at least 12 months by the Colorado High School Activities Association. CHSAA said the school was also put on formal notice, effective immediately, and faces suspension of its membership after "determining that racist and discriminatory language and unacceptable behavior occurred at Lutheran athletic events."

Earlier this month, CBS Colorado reported that Colorado Springs High School cheerleaders claim they were racially harassed by students at a Lutheran High School football game on Sept. 24. The cheerleaders claim they were subjected to racist remarks and blocked from passing Lutheran's student section during the game in Parker.   

The cheerleaders are not the only students who say they were harassed at that game. 

"I felt alone. I kind of felt powerless," said Sand Creek junior Brayden Wilson-Damerell.

At the Sept. 24 football game to take pictures, Brayden Wilson-Damerell was among the Sand Creek students who say they experienced racism at Lutheran High School.

"This guy and his friend from the Lutheran students section started messing with my hair and grabbing it," said Wilson-Damerell.

Wilson-Damerell also says he and other Black students were told to "go back where they came from" and witnessed other students whipping belts at them, an allegation that Lutheran's executive director said in an Oct. 4 email to families "appears to be untrue."

That email says the students involved in the belt incident did not go to Lutheran, and states, "I questioned them in front of the cheerleaders and their coach, and the explanation was that they were chasing and hitting each other with their belts. A review of the security footage supports that explanation."

"These kids were pretending to whip us. They took off their belt and were whipping the air, whipping the ground," said Wilson-Damerell. "It was definitely targeted towards us. They weren't just doing it at each other as a joke. They were facing us and looking at us as they were doing it."

Advocates say this is not an isolated incident.

"This is cultivated. When there is a culture, there is a comfort in doing things like this," said MiDian Shofner, CEO of Epitome of Black Excellence & Partnership.

After Brayden's classmates shared their own experiences from the game, two other Colorado Springs schools — Air Academy and Coronado — forfeited their games against Lutheran.

"I feel bad because that counts as a loss for Air Academy and a win for Lutheran. But we all know that Air Academy and Coronado are the real winners," said Wilson-Damerell.

Earlier this week, Coronado High School in Colorado Springs forfeited Thursday's football game against the high school in Parker. 

Last week, Air Academy High School canceled its homecoming game against Lutheran High School. According to a news release from Air Academy, the school didn't have enough coaches for that game scheduled for Oct. 9. 

CHSAA said in a news release that "Racism and discrimination have no place in our schools or at our events. CHSAA takes sportsmanship, crowd control and the treatment of every participant at our events seriously, and every member school is responsible for the conduct of its coaches, players and spectators."

CHSAA made the decision following an investigation that included documentation, official game reports, and first-hand accounts from CHSAA students and communities. 

Lutheran is required to complete a detailed Corrective Action Plan addressing game management, spectator conduct, staff training and school culture. Lutheran leadership will be required to appear before the CHSAA Board of Directors to demonstrate growth and progress in the areas identified in the plan. 

If those requirements are not met, CHSAA said they will recommend that Lutheran High School's membership in CHSAA be suspended, which removes the school from CHSAA membership and prohibits participation in any CHSAA-sponsored activities. 

"I feel very heard in that. I'm glad that CHSAA is going to do something about it, and that they're putting their foot down because they know this isn't right," said Wilson-Damerell.

Last week, Lutheran High School said it was actively investigating the allegations and would take "any disciplinary action warranted."

"I feel like they definitely should have taken more action by now," said Wilson-Damerell. "I haven't heard of any consequences leading out like detentions or suspensions or anything like that."

Lutheran High School Principal Dan Gehrke released this statement on Thursday regarding the CHSAA actions, "Lutheran High School condemns racism in any form, and we will complete every requirement CHSAA has set. We are disappointed that CHSAA reached its determination before our own review is complete and before it could consider our findings. We are finalizing a fuller response and our next steps for you and the public. In the meantime, I humbly ask that you keep our students, families, coaches and staff in your prayers, along with everyone affected."

After the game between Colorado Springs High School and Lutheran on Sept. 24, an email was sent to Lutheran families on Oct. 4, and the school's executive director says he met with Sand Creek's principal and apologized for the cheerleaders' experience but stated, "We have received no official report of inappropriate behavior by our players during the Sand Creek game." 

"I've heard their response on paper that conceptually they don't accept racism … they need to acknowledge what happened. They need to be honest with themselves that this is real. It's in our community," Shofner said.

Shofner says the next step for Lutheran is to lean in and identify what the healing and atonement process looks like, a process she says needs to involve those who experienced the alleged racist behavior.

"To all of the students that experienced this, you're beautiful," Shofner said. "Your pain is our pain, and we are going to be watching this very closely."

Academy District 20 Board of Education President Susan Payne and Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Field released this statement on Thursday regarding CHSAA's action, "Academy District 20 appreciates the thoughtful, thorough, and systematic review conducted by the Colorado High School Activities Association Leadership Team following concerns raised by students, families, and schools in our community. Our District shares CHSAA's commitment to student-centered experiences that promote sportsmanship, and are free from racism, hate, and discrimination. As a District, we aim to be part of the solution, and we will remain focused on events where our students, families, coaches, and staff members can engage and compete with dignity and respect. School events should always impart the knowledge, skills, and character to bring our communities together in a respectful way." 

District 49 Superintendent Peter Hilts gave this statement on Thursday, "We are gratified that CHSAA is taking this matter seriously and upholding standards of fair play and competitive environments that value all people."