SUTTER CREEK, Calif. — A scathing investigation into a racist, homophobic and antisemitic group chat allegedly used by players of Amador High School's varsity football team has now been concluded, Amador County Unified School District Superintendent Torie Gibson said in a letter to parents Friday.
The investigation reportedly found racist, antisemitic and homophobic speech, a "culture of bullying," Title IX concerns and hazing allegations.
In the letter to parents obtained by ABC10, Gibson said that the school district became aware of the group chat on Sept. 14 and canceled the varsity football team's season soon after. She says it was the district's legal responsibility to investigate the group chat because it was used as an "Amador Football function."
"The investigation revealed that derogatory language and slurs dominated the contents of a group chat among many varsity football students at Amador High School. Many students were forthright and admitted to the hateful and inappropriate language in the chat," the letter said. " Language of this nature goes against our mission and will not be tolerated."
The investigation also found that students have not had equal access to school facilities and that the school's conditioning program was not equitable to all students.
A report of possible hazing was also found in the group chat but, law enforcement officials who investigated the incident, according to the letter, found that the incident referenced in the group chat did not qualify as hazing.
The school district declined to provide specific details on the contents of the group chat in its letter citing privacy laws.
"Moving forward we will ensure that systems are in place to support equal access to all students," the letter said. "Thank you to the students and staff who participated in the investigation, as well as the support of our community. As stated in the beginning, we will use this experience as an opportunity to learn and grow so that we can provide the most supportive and safe environment for all."
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