Valley Center, Topeka superintendents work to ‘uncover the facts’ after reports of racism

Superintendents at Valley Center and Topeka public schools said in a joint statement Wednesday that they were working to “uncover the facts” after reports of racism and other inappropriate language from Valley Center High School students at a home basketball game.

Valley Center schools were closed on Wednesday after the district received online threats Tuesday night. It’s unclear what those threats were. A district spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from The Eagle.

Tiffany Anderson, the first Black woman to become Topeka Public Schools superintendent, and Valley Center superintendent Cory Gibson said in the joint statement that they are working to “uncover the facts about what occurred so that inaccurate information and rumors are not circulated.”

“We do not support or condone violence or any language or behavior that promotes violence and we both remain prepared to hold individuals accountable if threatening language or behavior is displayed disrupting the school environment,” the statement says.

There are disparate reports about what happened at the game on Saturday.

Topeka High School head boys basketball coach Geo Lyons says Valley Center fans used the N-word and told his players that they were going to be hanged. What’s clear, from a video shared on social media by Topeka girls basketball player Jo’Mhara Benning, is that a Valley Center High School student held up a Black baby doll during the game and those students said “He’s a (expletive)“ as a Topeka player shot a free throw.

Lyons said it was his son they said that to.

In the video, Lyons, who is Black, could be seen saying something to the ref immediately after the chant. The white ref, who has his arms by his side, then shrugs as he moves away and opens his hands with his palms up.

Lyons has set up an online petition to have Valley Center fans banned from games.

Valley Center previously said students involved in inappropriate chants were removed from the game.

On local media posts about the incident, one woman, who is white, said “Topeka didn’t behave any better than Valley. The video only shows Valley.” Another person, who has a profile picture of a dog, said their grandchild was at the game and “Topeka was no saint.”

“Incidents that occurred when individuals did not conduct themselves in ways that reflect our commitment to supporting students have been handled, and there are investigations that are ongoing,” the joint statement said, though it didn’t say what handled means or if that refers to students being removed from the game.

The statement says the districts are doing their investigations in cooperation with the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

Topeka’s involvement with race in schools runs deep. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that the school’s segregated schools were unconstitutional. The landmark decision dissolved segregated schools nationwide.

About 3% of students at Valley Center High School are Black compared with roughly 15% at Topeka High School, according to National Center for Education Statistics.