EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — Oak Ridge High School is facing sanctions from the California Interscholastic Federation.
The sanctions come following an incident that happened while the Oak Ridge High School girls soccer team played against the Clovis' Buchanan High School girls soccer team in the NorCal Championship game in early March 2022.
"Sadly, during the shootout part of the game, one individual from the Oak Ridge cheering section made a monkey sound while an African American student from Buchanan took a shot," the El Dorado Union High School District said in a statement.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Jasara Gillette, head coach for Buchanan Girls Soccer, said a Hispanic player was also barked at by someone.
A day following the initial incident, school officials announced that a student who heckled Black and Latina soccer players during a high school championship game with racist taunts has been identified and is being held accountable.
"The CIF Executive Director affirms that discriminatory and racist behavior toward an opponent contravenes the principles of education-based athletics," wrote the CIF in a press release sent to ABC10.
According to the CIF, the following sanctions will be in place:
- Oak Ridge High School is on probation for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year and through the 2023-24 school year.
- During the term of the probationary period, any home site post-season girls varsity soccer match, including Section, Regional, or State levels between Oak Ridge High School and Buchanan High School will be hosted by Buchanan High School.
- Completion of an annual sportsmanship workshop/training during the probationary period (to include a component of racial/cultural sensitivity training such as the NFHS Implicit Bias Course) for all Oak Ridge High School administrators, athletic director(s), coaches, and students.
- Prior to the start of the spring 2022 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Championships, Oak Ridge High School administrators and athletic director(s) will complete game management training.
- The administration of Oak Ridge High School is strongly encouraged to engage with the administration at Buchanan High School to begin the process of developing a positive relationship between the two school communities.
- By August 1, 2022, or sooner, Oak Ridge High School shall submit an action plan to the State CIF outlining not only how it will comply with sanctions 3 through 5 above, but also what other strategies, if any, that it chooses to implement to avoid the repetition of the type of conduct that led to the implementation of these sanctions.
