Schools guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct
As a Jessamine County resident, I am embarrassed by our school officials and students. Recently, I attended two boys’ high-school basketball games and on both accounts regretted those choices. As an educator, sports official and parent, I was taken aback by the disrespect the student sections at East and West showed toward visiting players and referees. It is one thing to do an about face or raise a newspaper when players from the opposing team have their lineup called, but it is another thing to chant slurs and profanities at them for the duration of a game.
Likewise, the repeated student body curse-chants towards referees about a disagreeable call is simply unacceptable. Even more, last week I heard the students at East yelling in unison across the gymnasium the phrase “Cheer Queer” to a male cheerleader from EKU who was in the Lincoln County stands. This provoked him to yell back similar derogatory remarks. To make matters worse, I had my 2- and 4-year-old children there with me. The fact is, I should not have to cover my kids’ ears when attending community athletic events such as these.
The principals and athletic directors at both East and West should be called to task for not attempting to remedy and prevent these types of situations. Students participating in these types of events should receive detention or suspension and at the very least lose privileges to attend games. Not only does it make our school system look classless; it makes it look wholly incapable of educating our children in any respectable way. It needs to be made known that there is a difference between school spirit and hatefulness and disrespect. I’m afraid that as long as I see these types of things taking place, my children will never be part of the Jessamine County school system or student body. It would just be too embarrassing.
Michael Halcomb,
Nicholasville
