Superintendents address ‘racially-charged’ incident at Fairport-Victor basketball game

VICTOR, N.Y. – A group of Victor Senior High Students made racist noises when a Black Fairport student was shooting foul shots.

In a joint statement from the heads of both school districts, the superintendents say this happened during a varsity game Wednesday night.

“After school officials from both Districts reviewed the video and spoke to individuals from both Victor and Fairport, it became clear that the actions by the VSHS student cheer section were extremely hurtful to the individual that was targeted and his teammates,” Fairport’s Brett Provenzano and Victor’s Dr. Timothy Terranova write.

They continue:

“The instigators’ actions also had a far-reaching impact within the Fairport school community, including classmates, staff and spectators. We encourage anyone who has been impacted by this incident to reach out to their network of support.”

Dr. Terranova said, in a note to Victor families, that school leaders are “working with individuals involved in this situation.”

“There is a strong feeling from people that heard it that the impact of these noises was both racially offensive and hurtful.  There is also a strong feeling by VCS students involved that the noises were not meant in a racially offensive way. I appreciate the ability of our students and parents to discuss this situation, understand one another’s perspectives, and, as the letter states, work together to learn and grow.

He continues:

“I, along with members of our administration, will be meeting with students from VSHS over the next few days about the situation and listening to their perspectives. We will continue to work with the Fairport community to also listen, share perspective, and learn. In the end, I believe we will be stronger from this work and I have complete faith that our young adults will develop into the strong leaders we know they will be.”