To: New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA)

As members of the Nyack School District Community, we demand immediate action to protect Nyack School District student-athletes from threatening, damaging, and racist behavior. 

For the second time in three months, students from the Pearl River School District have engaged in racist behavior directed to Nyack student-athletes during a sporting event. In February, Pearl River students made demeaning taunts during a high school basketball game at Pearl River High School. And in May, Pearl River students at two separate multi-school track tournaments used racist language to address Nyack middle-schoolers.

These offenses against Nyack’s children can no longer be dismissed as isolated incidents — rather, they demonstrate a pattern of misconduct that needs to be confronted and corrected.  They affect not only Nyack student-athletes, but all student-athletes in Section 1. Indeed, the misconduct is a clear violation of the New York State Dignity for All Students Act, which assures "a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying  . . . at a school function."

Sadly, we have not seen any serious attention to this outrageous misconduct from the Pearl River School District.  Accordingly, we have no choice but to respectfully demand that the New York State Public High School Athletic Association suspend teams from the Pearl River School District from competing in Section 1 sports until the Pearl River superintendent and school board can demonstrate that they have taken the proper steps to educate and correct this pattern of racist conduct.