Fight at Maple Valley school sparks concerns of racism

MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — Tahoma School District administrators are investigating a fight after witnesses said racial slurs were hurled along with punches.

The incident happened Wednesday afternoon at Tahoma High School in Maple Valley.

While district officials said they could not confirm whether the slurs were made, they did say five of the six students involved were suspended.

One of the students who tried to break up the fight was sent home with an injury, according to the district.

Two of the students involved were of color and the four others were white.

The district sent KIRO 7 this statement regarding the incident:

“Like so many communities in our country, there is evidence of racism and inequities in our district and community, which we have heard from many of our students and we are actively addressing. Our school board has adopted long-term strategies over the last year with a primary goal of eliminating those inequities. We’ve developed an equity steering committee to provide leadership as well as equity committees in the following areas: family engagement, student voices, school culture and climate, curriculum and instruction, professional development, and staffing. Our staff is undergoing diversity training in order to increase our awareness, knowledge and skill as we work to support each and every student. We are utilizing an equity lens to identify patterns of racism in our system and to continue learning and improving for our underrepresented students.”

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