SRVUSD Faces Backlash After Mannequin Scandal

SAN RAMON, CA — A San Francisco-based law firm is fighting for the California High School cheer team following accusations that the high schoolers posed with a black mannequin head.

The Dhillon Law Group had a press conference in front of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District's headquarters in Danville Thursday morning. The firm announced a cease and desist letter and demanded an investigation and removal of Superintendent Dr. John Malloy.

The firm claims a disgruntled mother of an athlete that didn’t make the team fabricated a social media post accusing the team of racists acts.

The post was shared widely on social media. The girls on the stunt team have since received threats and their reputations have been tainted, the firm said in a news release.

“First, the team is not 'all white'," the release said. "Six African Americans made the Cheer Team and the disgruntled student was the only African American who tried out and did not make the Cheer Team. Second, the mannequin head the squad has used as their mascot head for the last five years is not black.”

The firm also said the mascot’s name is Karine, not Kareem. The group believes the picture circulated on social media was altered.

The district was informed of this and parents shared their concerns, Dhillon says, but the team continued to face backlash.

“Superintendent Malloy’s choice to bully and harass blameless students is despicable. He knowingly advanced an utterly false narrative on the backs of innocents to bask in his ten minutes in the spotlight," the release said. "His rhetoric and race baiting is beyond the pale. The Cheer Team and Cheer Family call for his immediate removal and a District-wide investigation, a public retraction, a public apology, and actual investigations into this matter which will exonerate the Cheer Team of all allegations that their choice of mascot was a racist act or the result of racist intent.”

The firm requested a response from the district by 5 p.m.

Below is Superintendent John Malloy's response sent to media.

"Creating safe schools that are welcoming and inclusive for all our students requires us to examine our practices of how we may - even unintentionally - have a harmful impact on others. As our Strategic Directions state, all students must feel safe and included in our schools. At this time, some of our students have shared that they don't feel that way. It is our job to educate, and we have a specific plan moving forward that will be shared at the Tuesday Board Meeting.

In this specific situation, we know that members of the stunt team did not intend harm by using the unofficial mascot, and we also know they understood that they had to immediately discontinue this practice. Cal High Administration and District leaders met with the students and families soon after we were notified of the social media post.

Moving forward, we continue to check in to listen to concerns, and we offered a commitment to work with them on this topic without drawing unnecessary negative and or harmful attention to our students. We are an educational organization and thus it is our responsibility to create the conditions, which include properly trained staff and support systems, to help our students make decisions and take actions that are culturally sensitive. It is our paramount priority to help students learn and grow, academically and socially, in safe environments.

As to the demand to have me removed from this position, I do not take that personally. I understand that some people are angry, but we cannot let that deter us from continuing our important work to create safe and inclusive environments for all."