Districts investigate alleged slurs at rivalry football game

Evanston Township High School District 202 and New Trier Township High School District 203 are jointly investigating reports that New Trier fans directed racist and homophobic comments and other offensive behavior at members of Evanston’s marching band during an October 16 football game. The districts said they are reviewing the reports and will determine next steps based on their findings. The game was held at Northwestern University’s New Ryan Field. In a joint statement, the districts said they take the reports seriously and asked anyone with firsthand information to contact school administrators. They said they would protect student privacy during the review and would take appropriate action based on its findings. Two Evanston band members described specific alleged incidents. Kevin Watts said he heard racial and homophobic slurs. Kiro Tabor said boys yelled a racial slur at the band during its pregame cheer near the New Trier student section. Watts and Tabor also said a bandmate was spat on as the group left and that students were told to kill themselves. Those detailed accounts were provided by the students; the districts’ statement did not identify individuals or...