Fairport Central School District

Message from the Superintendent – Racist incident at last night’s Varsity basketball game

Posted on in "Athletics, Board of Education, Brooks Hill, Budget, Community, District Wide, Dudley, Fairport High School, Jefferson Avenue, Johanna Perrin, Martha Brown, Minerva DeLand, Northside, Parents, Safety & Security, Superintendent"

Dear Fairport community,

Click here to view a joint statement from my office and the office of the Superintendent of the Victor Central School District regarding an incident at Wednesday’s Boys Varsity Basketball game.

The contents of the message are also copied below.

Thank you,

Brett Provenzano
Superintendent of Schools

Joint Fairport Victor Basketball Statement 2923

 

Good afternoon, Victor and Fairport communities,

We are writing to inform you of a racially-charged situation that occurred at the
Victor/Fairport Boys Varsity Basketball game on Wednesday evening.

We were informed that a section of VSHS students made racially offensive noises while a
Black Fairport student was shooting foul shots.

After school officials from both Districts reviewed the video and spoke to individuals from both
Victor and Fairport, it became clear that the actions by the VSHS student cheer section were
extremely hurtful to the individual that was targeted and his teammates. The instigators’ actions
also had a far-reaching impact within the Fairport school community, including classmates, staff
and spectators. We encourage anyone who has been impacted by this incident to reach out to
their network of support.

This incident and the resulting harm goes against the core values of both the Victor and Fairport
School Districts. There are no excuses for this behavior. All forms of hate are unacceptable and
violate not only our Districts’ Codes of Conduct, but also the bonds of community and equity that
our society so desperately needs.

Both the VCSD and the FCSD know that as school communities, we must continue to do our
part to educate, support and restore the historic and current harms done by racism and hate.
We will continue to work in our communities and beyond to address matters when they
arise, repair harm when it occurs, and restore relationships when they are broken.

We will learn, we will grow and we will keep our eyes on the future in the belief that our students
and our communities deserve a better, safer, more hopeful world.

Sincerely,

Brett Provenzano
Superintendent of Schools, Fairport Central School District

Dr. Timothy Terranova
Superintendent of Schools, Victor Central School District Fairport Central School District