Elkhorn Area School District administrators in Wisconsin are investigating after some of their students reportedly chanted racist taunts at the soccer players from Beloit Memorial High School, a diverse school where more than half the student population is either black or Hispanic.
According to Beloit soccer coach Brian Denu, Elkhorn students began chanting “Donald Trump, build that wall!” The girls from Beloit were devastated:
Denu said the chants affected some of his players to the point they had to leave the game.
"They came off the field and weren't able to finish the game because they were too upset and distraught over what happened to them," Denu said. "One of the girls was cradled in the arms of one of our assistant coaches for a good 15 to 20 minutes.
Words matter. Coach Denu wants the kids from Elkhorn who were responsible for the racist taunt and the pain it caused to learn from the hurtful mistake:
"I'd like them to just kind of take in what they said, think about their words before they say them. My guess is that they're good kids that have some really bad ideas in their head," Denu said. "But those were hurtful and words that you say can last with people for a very very very long time."
Elkhorn school officials confirmed the racist taunt happened and will announce action soon.