2 Riverhead students face punishment after using racial slurs at home football game, district says

A pair of Riverhead school district students will face disciplinary action after directing racial slurs at children at a high school football game, according to school officials.

Schools Superintendent Augustine Tornatore told attendees at the district’s Board of Education meeting last Tuesday that principals of both the high school and middle school, where the students attend, were working with police investigating the Sept. 9 incident.

Late Sunday, a district spokesman said school administrators will meet Monday with the Riverhead Town Anti-Bias Task Force and provide an update.

At last week's meeting, board member Virginia Healy, who was at the game, said the two white students also spoke to the mother of the children, who are Black, in a “very disrespectful and derogatory way.”

“It was heard by a lot of people in the stands and the community was appalled,” said Healy, who added that police responded to the scene. Healy said at the meeting the students were told they are no longer allowed to attend the games. Police would not provide an update Sunday on the investigation.

The incident occurred during the Riverhead varsity football team’s season-opening loss at home against Bay Shore. It started on a playground at Pulaski Street School, where the team plays, and spilled over to the stands near the end of the game, said Ron Edelson, of ZE Creative Communications, which handles communications for the district.

Edelson said the three in the group accused of using the slurs are a Riverhead High School student, a Riverhead Middle School student, and a former student who transferred out of the district and has since graduated. 

Robert “Bubbie” Brown, of Riverside, addressed the school board at the meeting and said the children subjected to the slurs included his 5- and 6-year-old great-grandchildren. Brown said the two youngsters were also pushed by the older students.

“I never dreamed that my great-grandchildren would be subject to the 'N-word' in 2023,” said Brown, an 83-year-old district resident who for decades has helped organize Black history programs in the schools.

“What is Riverhead going to do about these things?” he asked the board.

Tornatore told Brown disciplinary action is pending against the two students of the district.

Edelson said late Sunday that school administrators have been reviewing surveillance camera footage to better understand what happened.

"It's unclear exactly what was developing over time, because you don't have a whole lot of audio," Edelson said of the footage. "But you're seeing the three of them, somehow there's some interaction with some of the younger kids, and then all of a sudden, parents are getting involved."

Edelson said that after administrators meet Monday with the Riverhead Town Anti-Bias Task Force, they will update the school community on the investigation and eventual disciplinary measures.

Tornatore told Brown at the meeting: “This is a diverse community and what makes Riverhead so beautiful is the diversity. I’m so sorry your family had to go through this and believe me when I tell you there will be severe consequences.”

On Saturday, the school district posted to its Facebook page a reminder of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association guidelines for those attending sporting events.

"The guidelines forbid the use of derogatory or racially explicit language, discriminatory harassment or bias conduct that creates a hostile environment that is disruptive to the educational environment," the statement reads. "Spectators will not be permitted to use vulgar, offensive or racially and culturally insensitive language or engage in any racially and culturally insensitive actions."

The statement said schools that fail to address such behavior may face sanctions.

Brown said at the meeting that he hopes the punishment will amount to more than a “slap on the wrist” but added that there’s no “quick fix” to stop the spread of racial slurs.

He called for the incident to be addressed publicly to “discourage somebody else from doing it down the road.”

“These kids need correction, they need education,” said Brown, a retired Brookhaven National Laboratory employee.

Board of Education President Colin Palmer said at the meeting he supports an increase in programs addressing racism.

“This is not just a school problem and it’s not just a Riverhead problem, it is an American problem still, but at least in our community we can try to do things that bend toward justice,” Palmer said.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.