PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The baseball team of a private Catholic school in Portland apologized to the community last week after an athlete used “racial hate speech” during a pre-game cheer.
Central Catholic High School has taken several actions since, including a switch to remote, digital learning for Monday, April 20, and Tuesday, April 21.
Members of the Central Catholic High School baseball team issued a “school-wide apology at an assembly” on April 17, according to Jeanie-Marie Price, the director of marketing and communications for CCHS.
Price said the school learned of the hateful language last week. The school, she said, “immediately” launched an internal review and forfeited the team’s game against Sam Barlow High School on April 16.
Student-athletes on the team decided to forfeit the April 17 game, according to Price, and issued the apology the same day.
“At Central Catholic, we are called to uphold the dignity of every person and to form young people in truth, compassion, and accountability. We are especially mindful of the harm this has caused to our Black students, families, and community members, and we are taking steps to address it with care and accountability,” Price said in an email Sunday evening.
“Out of an abundance of care for all of our students, we have adjusted our school schedule for the next two days (April 20 and 21) to Digital Learning Days so that our faculty and staff are better prepared to respond to our students’ needs with care, clarity, and confidence.”
Price declined to reveal what language was used. She told KATU it was “hateful and does not bear repeating; it is our work to ensure that this language is eradicated from our school community.”
The CCHS baseball team is set to return to play in its game on Tuesday against Clackamas High School.