Residents gathered in the library of Haddonfield Memorial High School to discuss a topic that has sent ripples through the community.
Residents gathered in the library of Haddonfield Memorial High School to discuss a topic that has sent ripples through the community. A Haddonfield lacrosse player’s alleged racial slur was the catalyst for discussion during much of Thursday night’s meeting.
The incident occurred on May 1 at the high school where an HMHS lacrosse player allegedly directed a racial slur at a black Sterling High School female track athlete.
The district was informed of the complaint and began an internal investigation, during which “some issues” were discovered that are “completely unacceptable” for the community, the district said in a May 11 statement.
In response to the incident, the district cancelled the boys lacrosse season and has reached out to the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League and other professionals.
Board President Adam Sangillo addressed the situation at Thursday’s meeting.
“We found ourselves, as a borough, in a very deep discussion about race, and we want to make a comment about things that have happened in the past couple of weeks,” Sangillo said.
Every school in the state has a staff member who is identified as a harassment, intimidation and bullying specialist. This staff member is trained to investigate all issues regarding any gesture that is “reasonably perceived” as being motivated by either actual or perceived characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation and others.
Because the alleged incident fell under the category of a racial issue, HIB guidelines were followed, according to Sangillo.
Three witnesses were interviewed individually, and each one said they personally witnessed the incident, Sangillo said. They presented their accounts to the Haddonfield investigator and the testimony corroborated the account of the athlete.
“Every member of the lacrosse team cooperated fully,” Sangillo said.
After each lacrosse player was interviewed, no one admitted to hearing the slur. After a nine-day investigation, the administrative team determined an HIB instance had transpired.
“The administrative team determined that an HIB event had occurred on our school property and three neutral parties corroborated that,” Sangillo said.
As to why the board remained silent until the meeting, Sangillo said they were following protocol.
“Many of you have thought that our silence on this issue was suspect and that we were covering something up,” Sangillo said. “We never discuss these cases publicly… we employ employees to do this work.”
During public comment, dozens of individuals voiced their concerns about the alleged incident.
Tom Gramigna, representing the Haddonfield Lacrosse Booster Club, said the matter wasn’t taken lightly.
“We were extremely concerned with the allegations,” Gramigna said.
The club made an effort to “get to the bottom” of the allegations by reaching out to administration, coaches and every member of the team to uncover facts. Gramigna said he was disappointed to see the media and administration rushed to judgment and “chose the easy path” rather than conduct a thorough analysis of the allegation. Gramigna said he found it concerning the coach was not interviewed, although he was the only Haddonfield representative in direct contact with the alleged victim.
“The administration refused to interview the coach as part as the HIB investigation,” Gramigna said. “The coach was not asked to provide a written, detailed account of the incident in time to be considered for the investigation.”
Haddonfield lacrosse coach Damon Legato stepped up to the podium to express his thoughts.
“These are scary times for young men and women to grow up in, times where the media tells their story with no regard to the effect it has on anyone,” Legato said.
Legato said the allegation was taken seriously by the coaches and administration, and from the start the team was “empathetic.” He said he and the team learned to maintain sympathy despite the season being taken away.
“When we were attacked and stereotyped by the media, we learned not to react with emotion but instead remained silent,” Legato said. He said the silence was out of respect and not guilt.
“To say we were destroyed was an understatement,” Legato said.
He said the administration’s decision to cancel the boys lacrosse season was a “swift and severe” punishment.
Lloyd D. Henderson, president of the Camden County East Branch of the NAACP, gave his appreciation to Superintendent David Lindenmuth, whom he believes acted appropriately, saying his actions have demonstrated character is more important than championships. Henderson encouraged the board to recognize there is a culture of hate taking place. Henderson said he has seen similar complaints emerge in Haddonfield and this conduct taking place in the past, dating back for years.
“So let it be known that the May 1st incident, whether you believe in happened or not, was not an aberration,” Henderson said. “That behavior, whether one wants to believe it, has been allowed to exist for years.”
Henderson urged the board of education to take an affirmative role in making lasting changes, with teachers being a positive role and having zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior.
The next board meeting will take place on June 28 at 7 p.m.
