Derogatory Comments Made To Girls Basketball Team; It's Not A First For Lakewood Athletes

LAKEWOOD, NJ — Lakewood School District officials say racially insensitive remarks were made two members of the middle school girls basketball team this week. It's not the first time Lakewood athletes have been subjected to racial remarks. however.

Lakewood's girls played at Russell O. Brackman Middle School in Barnegat on Wednesday, and the players told the coaches after the game. The incident is under investigation, Barnegat administrators said Friday.

One girl was called a "Black b----," Michael Inzelbuch, the district's attorney and spokesman, said in an email early Thursday. A second girl was "taunted throughout the game that she must be 'homeless' because she does not have basketball sneakers."

"The Lakewood School District does not tolerate such treatment," Inzelbuch said in the email early Thursday morning, adding that the district had filed bias incident reports with the NJSIAA and the Barnegat schools. He also said basketball sneakers are being purchased for the team as 10 of the 19 players did not have proper basketball shoes.

"There are conflicting reports regarding the students' exact statements, but the nature of the comments is clear and requires action," Barnegat Schools Superintendent Brian Latwis said in announcing the investigation.

Inzelbuch's response reflects a more proactive approach he said he would take to such incidents following 2019 reports on how Lakewood's athletes were repeatedly subjected to taunts and racial slurs for years.

In a Sept. 6, 2019 report by the Asbury Park Press, football coach L.J. Clark spoke of racist chants from the fans at opponents' fields, and slurs directed at players on the field by opponents. Clark said it was just another lesson they had to teach players, that they had to ignore the slurs, but that it was a persistent problem.

An NJ.com report three weeks later included students relaying how they had been called racial slurs during games but brushed them off because they dealt with it routinely in life off the field.

John Craddox, who had been Lakewood's athletic director until 2015, told the Asbury Park Press that incidents were handled directly between the athletic directors at schools involved in incidents.

Inzelbuch, however, said that would change, and the district would be "much more proactive, because I think the times call for that."

Lakewood is primarily a minority district. The school district has 6,007 students, according to the US News profile from 2021, and Latino or Hispanic students make up 82.8 percent of the district's school enrollment. Black students are 6.6 percent of the school population, and white students are 9.5 percent, according to the profile. Of its students, 65.2 percent are eligible for the federal free and reduced-price meal program, the US News profile said.

By contrast, Ocean County's population of children is 84 percent white/non-Latino or non-Hispanic, according to U.S. Census figures.

Lakewood offers sports teams for boys and girls in 14 sports in middle school and high school, with the number of teams varying based on participation levels. The sports offerings include soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, cross country, track and field (indoor and outdoor), bowling, cheerleading, baseball, softball and football.

The middle school teams play in the Ocean County Intermediate Athletics League, so those competitions are against other Ocean County schools. The high school teams play in the Shore Conference and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, which includes competition in and out of Ocean County.

The NJSIAA requires host schools to read the following statement before and during each game, to emphasize sportsmanship:

"Today's contest is being conducted according to the rules of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. These rules provide for fair competition among players. Spectators can help promote good sportsmanship by observing the rules of fair play. Any verbal, written, or physical conduct related to race, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or religion shall not be tolerated, could subject the violator to ejection, and may result in penalties being assessed against your team. Everyone is requested to take personal responsibility for keeping this competition at a high level of good sportsmanship."

A similar statement is read to the players and coaches before each contest.

Latwis, the Barnegat superintendent, said that after speaking with 16 students on the basketball team, coaches, referees and other district staff members who were in attendance, officials determined that several student spectators seated behind Barnegat's team bench made offensive and insensitive comments.

In addition to disciplinary action, Latwis said students involved will complete exercises to increase student sensitivity, specifically toward marginalized people.

The results of the district's investigation could potentially result in further action, Latwis said.

"We extend our sincere apologies to the Lakewood Middle School girls' basketball team and everyone impacted by this incident. It does not reflect our culture, nor our district-wide efforts to celebrate diversity and promote acceptance and respect. Our work and discussions about discrimination, bias and bullying are ongoing and remain in-focus," Latwis said.

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