WOBURN, MASS. (WHDH) - Two school districts are responding after racist remarks were allegedly made during a non-school football game between students from Wilmington and Woburn.
During the game between Woburn and Wilmington middle schoolers on Wednesday, fans said racial slurs were tossed around during the match.
“I was at the game with some of my friends, and Wilmington was saying racially motivated stuff about my friends from Woburn,” said eighth grader D’Jhamar Neptune.
With the permission of their parents, some students who were at the game spoke with 7NEWS, saying it was Wilmington team members who did the taunting.
“They were like, mad that they were losing, so they wanted to like, get in their heads by saying racially motivated stuff to some of my friends,” Neptune said.
“It’s kind of like a gut-churning feeling, to see some of my friends being told these things,” said Jayden Gean, a Woburn seventh grader.
The game was apparently part of a football program run by an independent youth organization and not public schools.
However, since students participated, the superintendent of Wilmington Public Schools alerted families to the incident, stating how “such allegations are taken seriously and are being looked into by those involved.”
“We are a school community that is committed to the core values of inclusivity and respect for all,” said Superintendent Glenn Brand in the statement.
Woburn’s own superintendent reached out to families as well, saying in part “there is no justifiable circumstance by which a child should have to endure racism as part of their participation in a community activity.”
“School staff and I will continue to promptly and proactively address any threat to the safety and well-being of our students and ask that you join us in this effort by speaking with your children about the seriousness of these allegations.”
The two school districts have also been in communication with one another as well, with support being offered to the alleged victims.
With the football season just kicking off, students said they hope this is the last time something like this happens.
“I feel like that’s just not acceptable, because we should all just love each other,” Gean said. “It’s not something that, like, should be normal for us to do.”
7NEWS is currently working to confirm the name of the independent league that facilitated the game.
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