https://www.facebook.com/antonia.lakylia/posts/1253443598045897

A Missouri high school has rushed to apologize for the action of its student fan section after its actions offended students from a visiting opponent’s school.

As reported by the Kansas City Star, among other local outlets, a large group of Warrensburg students turned their backs and held a Trump-Pence election sign aloft when the names of the starting five players for Kansas City Center were read aloud over the arena soundsystem. The action was considered particularly inflammatory because Warrensburg is a largely white school while Center is predominantly African-American, and all of the Center basketball players in the starting lineup were African-American.

The incident first gained attention thanks to a Facebook video post by a Center student named Toniaa Lakylia Nunn, who was at the game in Warrensburg and found the actions by the host student body disturbing.

For their part, Center’s coach and basketball players said they were unaware of the incident during the game. That doesn’t mean they were immune to being offended by it, nor does it necessarily condone the behavior as justifiable.

The Warrensburg school district issued an official apology about behavior that it termed, “inappropriate and insensitive toward our opponents.” Warrensburg superintendent Scott Patrick provided more color about the practice, noting that it was common for students to turn their backs on opponents during introductions, and his district’s decision to apologize. He did not comment on whether any discipline would be handed down to any students who took part as members of the Warrensburg fan section.

“I think in this case, (the Trump sign) was really the difference in what took this from something that was unsportsmanlike to something that was insensitive, not necessary and inappropriate,” Patrick told the Star.