Lakesha Adams said her daughter’s volleyball game turned vulgar on Friday night.
“It did not feel like a safe environment,” she said.
Adams’ daughter is on the varsity team at Paetow High School. The team was playing against Jordan High School when the mother said the end of the game took a turn.
“They began to start making monkey sounds when our girls were serving,” Adams said.
She said the noises were coming from Jordan High School’s student section.
“Myself and another parent went to administration and security, just trying to defuse the situation before it got worse,” she said. “They told us it would be handled, however, nothing was done.”
Adams said all the girls on her daughter’s team are minorities.
“They’re offended because if you look, historically the way African Americans were portrayed as monkeys, as dumb, as unintelligent people,” Adams said.
She said they’ve gotten support from Paetow High School, but said she didn’t feel the same support from Katy ISD.
“I definitely want acknowledgment first. I want them to condemn the racist acts and I want consequences,” she said.
Katy ISD sent the following response to KPRC 2 regarding the incident:
“An investigation has identified some students engaged in behaviors that are not aligned with the District’s and the UIL’s expectations for sportsmanship conduct during an athletic event. Any student’s behavior deemed in violation of the Discipline Management Plan and Student Code of Conduct will face disciplinary consequences.”
Adams said she’s hoping speaking about the situation will spark a larger conversation on race and diversity in Katy.
“Our children need advocates,” she said.