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Penn Hills superintendent says racial slurs used during soccer game with Connellsville

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read

Due to a reported incident of alleged racial slurs used at a soccer match last week, an Allegheny County school district has canceled any of their sporting events with the Connellsville Area School District.

Penn Hills School District Superintendent Dr. Nancy Hines said the district’s athletic teams will not travel to Connellsville or host Connellsville teams until the incident, which she said occurred at a Sept. 6 boys varsity soccer game, is investigated by the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League.

Tim O’Malley, executive director of the WPIAL, confirmed that a summary letter of concern was sent to the organization by the Penn Hills School District the day after the soccer match between the two schools.

“What was reported is so disturbing that it warrants our position and the direct involvement of WPIAL,” said Hines.

Neither Hines nor O’Malley discussed the specifics of what was in the letter describing the incident. Connellsville’s superintendent, Joseph Bradley, said Wednesday the district “recognizes and is sensitive to Penn Hills’ desire to refrain from competing against CASD-sponsored athletic teams at this time.”

He noted a girls’ soccer game scheduled for Wednesday and a girls’ volleyball game scheduled for Thursday — both against Penn Hills — would be postponed.

“CASD is confident that additional time provided to the WPIAL will permit a proper and thorough investigation to occur,” Bradley said in a statement.

He noted district officials look forward to the WPIAL’s findings, and will continue to seek opportunities to “improve the educational experience of not only Connellsville Area School District student athletes, but also the experience of our brother and sister schools of the WPIAL/PIAA.”

Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln, who attended the game, said accounts he’s read of the alleged racially charged remarks do not describe the game he attended Sept. 6.

“At no time did I hear any player make a racial slur. At no time did I hear the student section make a racial slur. And at no time did I hear any parent in the stand make a racial slur,” Lincoln said.

He said he sat in the stands by the student section, and there were 10 to 15 students in attendance.

“The stadium is very quiet and you can hear nearly every sound made by the players and officials on the field, as well as spectators in the stands,” Lincoln said.

He noted the game was recorded, so that it could be reviewed to determine what occurred.

O’Malley said the WPIAL contacted Connellsville school officials Monday, and requested the district gather whatever findings they can on the incident and submit it to the organization by the end of the day Wednesday.

O’Malley said the officials for the soccer match were also contacted and requested to provide feedback of the alleged incident.

He added that the WPIAL board will meet next Monday to go over all the findings and make a decision on how to respond.

Last week’s incident wasn’t the first revolving around Connellsville athletics as in February 2017, during a themed “Hick Night” basketball game between Connellsville and Uniontown high schools where Connellsville students dressed in flannel and cut-off short with Trump political signs and chanted, “Build that wall! Get them out of here.”

That incident was handled by the Connellsville school officials, who met with students to explain how their words were perceived to be insensitive.

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