Waterford track meet racist comments, school administrators respond

Waterford track meet racist comments incident

A high school track meet turned ugly on Wednesday when Rufus King High School students said they heard racist comments from Waterford students.

MILWAUKEE - A high school track meet turned ugly on Wednesday when Rufus King High School students said they heard racist comments from Waterford students.

Milwaukee parent ‘shocked’

What they're saying:

It wasn't how Rufus King students or parents expected the track meet at Waterford Union High School to go.

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"She said they were calling them gangsters and the n-word. I was very, very shocked," said Angela Harris, whose daughter is on the track team. "I was really devasted for her that she had to experience this, and her teammates had to experience this as well."

Harris said parents later got a letter from the Rufus King athletic director, saying the team left early for safety – adding that they are working with Waterford administration to ensure the matter is taken seriously.

Rufus King High School, Milwaukee

"My hope is that if there is no accountability on the side of the WIAA, that the Waterford school district will release a statement condemning the behaviors, or those athletes, parents and coaches, as well as disciplinary action for the students that were involved," said Harris.

FOX6 News reached out to Milwaukee Public Schools for comment. The school district said students' safety is a top priority, and they are following all WIAA policies to address the situation.

Waterford, WIAA respond

The other side:

FOX6 went to the Waterford Union High School District on Friday to speak to Superintendent Luke Francois.

"On behalf of all of our community, you have my sincere apology," he said. "From the district perspective, we take this matter extremely seriously, and we want to make sure that we reflect on the actions of that day."

Waterford Union High School track

Francois said the investigation is ongoing, and those involved will be held accountable. The Waterford Union High School District said it is working closely with Rufus King and MPS.

"It's appalling that the allegations that we received, and we will spend time personally on campus at Rufus King to make sure that they know that we're sincere and in our efforts to really make sure that this is handled correctly, and that going forward that we do our very best to make sure it never ever happens again," said Francois.

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In a statement, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association said:

"We are aware of the complaint. Member schools involved will review the incident, share findings, and work together toward a resolution. The WIAA is available if the schools need assistance. Please know we take allegations of this nature seriously as do our member schools."