Two players on the Champlin Park High School volleyball team have been suspended for Thursday's state tournament match against Moorhead after a video allegedly showing a player singing a rap song that included a derogatory term circulated on social media, the lawyer representing the players said Wednesday evening.
Attorney Phil Villaume said the students and their parents adamantly oppose racism and that the dust-up that sparked a student rally against racism at the school on Wednesday was a result of a misunderstanding and fueled by misinformation.
"The students are good kids and … have repeatedly apologized," Villaume said. "They have suffered severe emotional trauma, and they never intended to do anything racially inappropriate."
The video showed one student wearing a blue sweatshirt with the letters "CPVB" sewn on the front singing a rap song that includes some racially inappropriate language, Villaume said.
Anoka-Hennepin School District officials confirmed that they are talking with students at Champlin Park High School about behavior on social media after the video came to their attention last Friday. The video was shot on a school bus in which students were headed to a school activity, said spokesman Jim Skelly. Due to data privacy restrictions, the district has not been able to say much more.
That's not helping matters, as several versions of what has transpired over the past five days have circulated online. Some have created misinformation to which the district is not able to respond, Skelly said.
In a letter sent to Champlin Park parents and students this week, Principal Michael George said he was saddened by what occurred, but that the student behavior does not reflect the core values of the school district or Champlin Park High.
"The impact of this has been disruptive and created feelings of fear for students and parents well beyond those who are directly involved," George wrote. "We're prioritizing this concern and taking action quickly to address it. Language of hate or actions of violence will not be tolerated."
On Wednesday, some students gathered and called for a change in the culture at the school, according to videos posted online.
Students who led the in-school walkout said the purpose was to stand against racism. They also had a message for administrators concerning the players. "If they disobey, they don't play," they chanted.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
