COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Allegations of racist behavior coming from students and spectators of a private Christian school in Parker at Colorado high school football games could jeopardize the school’s athletic programs indefinitely if it fails to implement immediate changes to its culture, officials from the Colorado High School Activities Association warned Thursday.
Lutheran High School, which has been embroiled in controversy over alleged racist incidents at football games for nearly a month, is now facing suspension from CHSAA-sponsored games and other activities unless it completes a corrective action plan that addresses game management, spectator conduct, staff training and school culture.
In the meantime, CHSAA has placed the school’s athletic department on probation for at least 12 months “after determining that racist and discriminatory language and unacceptable behavior occurred at Lutheran athletic events.”
“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,” officials said in a statement Thursday.
Officials from the state’s governing body for high school athletics said they were forced to consider suspending Lutheran High School’s membership in the Association following a “comprehensive review of documentation, official game reports, and first-hand accounts that member schools gathered from their students and communities.”
The alleged racist incidents occurred while visiting Lutheran High School played against Sand Creek High on Sept. 24 and Rampart High School on Oct. 2 and 3.
Families who reached out to News5 about the racist incidents said Black cheerleaders from Sand Creek High were subjected to racial slurs during the game and were even called “Harriet Tubman” by Lutheran High students. The racist harassment was so severe Sand Creek cheerleading coach Sanaa Ford had to escort a group of Black cheerleaders to their cars before the game was even over while students made monkey noises at them, according to The Denver Post.
Watch News5's first story on these allegations in the video below:
News5 took those families’ concerns to Lutheran High School executive director Dan Gehrke, who said he was aware of the allegations and was actively investigating them.
But just three days after another racist incident occurred at Rampart High that reportedly involved the LuHi Lions, Air Academy High School announced it was forfeiting its homecoming football game against the private Christian school. School officials cited a coaching shortage as the reason for the forfeit and said they would instead schedule a flag football game versus TCA for Oct. 9.
In their statement, Air Academy High did not address the controversy over the racist allegations that now plague Lutheran High, only saying the school was “committed to a safe and supportive environment for all students.”
The lack of clarity forced Academy District 20, the school district under which Air Academy High School operates, to provide a statement of its own.
“Academy District 20 believes racism in any form should never be tolerated. Any credible concerns of racist remarks should be taken seriously and fully investigated,” district officials said.
In their statement, district officials said that conversations between Lutheran High and Air Academy High had taken place last week and both had agreed to limit fan attendance only to family members of both schools as well as add security enhancements.
“Ultimately, individual decisions affected the level of coaching participation available. Given those circumstances, Air Academy was not in a position to safely field and support a varsity football contest,” district officials said.
On Monday, School District 11 announced it, too, had decided that Coronado High School would also forfeit its game against Lutheran scheduled for this Thursday after both Lutheran and CHSAA failed to provide a statement to the district denouncing racist behavior ahead of the scheduled game.
“Our athletic programs should reflect respect, dignity, and a commitment to equal and fair play,” School District 11 officials said. “In the absence of the requested statements, we do not believe proceeding with Thursday’s game is consistent with those expectations.”
CHSAA officials defended their delayed response in implementing disciplinary action against Lutheran in a statement last week, saying any disciplinary action required “more than responding to individual reports.”
“We understand the desire for immediate action. But decisions of this weight must be based on complete information and acting before we have it would not serve student participants or our member schools,” officials said. “If CHSAA bylaws are determined to have been violated, consequences will be determined according to those bylaws.”
If Lutheran fails to meet the requirements set forth by CHSAA’s corrective action plan, the state’s governing body will recommend the Board of Directors suspend Lutheran’s membership “for a length of time determined by the Board.”
Gehrke, the LuHi Lions' executive director, said in a statement to families obtained by Denver7 later Thursday that Lutheran High "condemns racism in any form," adding the school 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," Gehrke said. "In the meantime, I humbly ask that you keep our students, families, coaches and staff in your prayers, along with everyone affected."
This isn’t the first time Lutheran High School students have been under the spotlight for alleged racist behavior.
In 2021, an investigation for “unsportsmanlike conduct” was launched against the LuHi Lions after an Evergreen High School parent alleged Lutheran High football players used racist slurs against Evergreen’s minority players and said, “We will bury you like your dead coach,” after a coach on the Jefferson County team had died, according to Denver7.
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