Five organizations, including the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon School Activities Association, are reminding parents, coaches and officials of the rules governing harassment, bullying and discrimination at schools, and school activities.
A referee holds the ball in a high school basketball playoff game in 2018. Read also : Six Sports Represented in 2022 Hall of Fame Class – Baylor University Athletics. Oregon school leaders work to reduce incidents of bullying and harassment in games and activities.
Oregon’s five leading school organizations made a joint plea Thursday, as fall sports kicks off: that adults be in positions of power and responsibility to crack down on harassing and bullying behavior.
The Oregon School Activities Association, the State Board of Education, the Oregon Department of Education, and the Oregon School Board Association and the Oregon School Administrators Coalition issued a joint statement calling on adults at sporting events and other activities to exercise caution against harassment. and bullying behavior, and interrupt appropriately. The groups said they had noticed, “an increase in negativity, intimidation, and even hate speech and symbols entering these activities” in recent years.
Several incidents at school sporting events last year drew investigation, including racist behavior at Molalla and Clatskanie high school basketball games. Last fall, the La Grande School District, Gladstone School District and OSAA investigated the use of racial slurs at a November soccer game. The issue of racist behavior at athletic events has also surfaced nationally at the college level, with an investigation into fan behavior at a volleyball match between Duke University and Brigham Young University.
The statement from the Oregon school group emphasized the legal responsibility of adults in this competition to respond, particularly to school officials and activities.
“When harassment or intimidation occurs at events based on age, disability, national origin, race, color, marital status, religion, gender identity, and sexual orientation, it violates civil rights laws that our organization must uphold. , ” the statement said. .
The statement details six policies to reduce behavior problems at sporting events:
The statement was signed by leaders from five school organizations, as well as community leader — and former member of the Oregon State Board of Education — Anthony Veliz.
