Below is a press release from the Oskaloosa Community School District in response to an incident that occurred on Wednesday at the Lacey Recreation Complex.
OSKALOOSA, Iowa – The Oskaloosa Community School District is aware of an incident involving four individuals in a vehicle from outside our community that occurred Wednesday afternoon during a soccer practice at our athletic complex.
During the incident, these individuals drove around Drost Field at the Lacey Athletic Complex while coaches and student-athletes were engaged in practice and directed racial slurs at high school and middle school students and staff. Law enforcement was immediately contacted, and the situation was turned over to the Oskaloosa Police Department.
We have since learned the individuals involved are from neighboring communities and not affiliated with Oskaloosa Schools. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as the investigation continues. The Oskaloosa Leadership Team is pursuing all available actions, including criminal charges, no-trespass orders, and any additional remedies allowed under Iowa law and school board policy to ensure these individuals are not permitted on our property again and ensure the safety of all our people.
We want to be clear: there is no place for this kind of behavior in our community. Not on our fields. Not in our schools. Not in our community.
Our expectation is that everyone treats one another with respect. When someone chooses to use hateful language toward our students or our staff, they are not just breaking rules – they are violating the basic standard of our vision culture that we expect from everyone.
In this instance, our coaches and student-athletes responded in a safe, healthy, and kind way. They stayed focused, they reported the situation, and they trusted it would be handled. The Oskaloosa Schools Leadership Team and our entire organization have their backs, and we always will. The safety, dignity, and health of our students and staff come first, and we will not hesitate to act when that value is threatened.
At Oskaloosa Schools, our Vision Culture calls us to Love, Empower, and Inspire People. That is not just a slogan. It is the expectation we live by. Loving people means standing up when someone is harmed. Empowering people means ensuring our students and staff know they are safe and protected. Inspiring people means showing, through our actions, the kind of people we strive to be.
