St. Louis Park Refuses To Play New Prague After Racist Incident

ST. LOUIS PARK, MN — Officials at St. Louis Park High School will no longer play New Prague in any sports this year due to racist taunts said by fans during a boys' hockey game between the two schools.

"I will not tolerate or allow our students to further experience any racism while participating in athletics against New Prague High School," St. Louis Park athletic director Andrew Ewald wrote in a letter to Brad Skogerboe, New Prague's athletic director.

Ewald said the racism coming from New Prague students has not been isolated to one incident or game, but in fact, has been an ongoing problem. Ewald has had previous conversations with Skogerboe about the problem.

The incident was confirmed to have happened by the New Prague district superintendent, who apologized on behalf of the school.

In a statement to the Star Tribune, New Prague superintendent Tim Dittberner said that "we sincerely apologize for this incident and make no excuses for the behavior. We are taking steps to work with our athletes, student body, staff and coaches so these types of incidents do not happen in the future.

St. Louis Park isn't the only school to report racism from the New Prague student body. Earlier this month, New Prague launched an investigation into racist taunts made during a girls basketball, the New Prague Times reported."