Danvers teachers on Friday issued a statement praising the student-athlete who came forward to reveal details of violent, degrading, racist and homophobic hazing rituals held in the high school hockey team’s locker room.”It was disturbing that the community had to learn about these episodes through a news investigation and not through direct communication with the educators in the school system,” the Danvers Teachers Association wrote in a statement. Attorney General Maura Healey’s office also said Friday that it was seeking additional information about the allegations. “These allegations are disturbing and extremely troubling,” Healey’s office wrote. “We have reached out to the school district and the local police to get more information.”The hockey player told 5 Investigates the alleged assaults and other hazings that took place during rituals that took place inside the locker room. The rituals were explicitly homophobic, starkly racist, and sometimes violent, according to his account, and always featured abuse of young players by upper-classmen.According to the player, rituals included “Gay Tuesday,” when the lights were turned off in the locker room and everyone had to take off their clothes, and “Hard-R Fridays” where players who refused to say the n-word with a hard “R” were physically beaten, sometimes with a red sex toy.”We strongly commend the courageous actions of the hockey player who came forth with these allegations, and we support any other victims who may have been hesitant to do the same,” the teachers’ union wrote. At a meeting of the Danvers School Committee Monday, where a member made a surprise motion to put the superintendent on leave, parents alleged the allegations were “concealed from families.”The union’s statement also suggests that administrators were “not forthcoming.””The school leadership’s secrecy prevented educators from playing an active role in addressing the racism, homophobia, antisemitism and bullying taking place,” they wrote.The Danvers School Committee is expected to take up the motion to put the superintendent on administrative leave during an executive session on Monday.
Danvers teachers on Friday issued a statement praising the student-athlete who came forward to reveal details of violent, degrading, racist and homophobic hazing rituals held in the high school hockey team’s locker room.
“It was disturbing that the community had to learn about these episodes through a news investigation and not through direct communication with the educators in the school system,” the Danvers Teachers Association wrote in a statement.
Attorney General Maura Healey’s office also said Friday that it was seeking additional information about the allegations.
“These allegations are disturbing and extremely troubling,” Healey’s office wrote. “We have reached out to the school district and the local police to get more information.”
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The hockey player told 5 Investigates the alleged assaults and other hazings that took place during rituals that took place inside the locker room. The rituals were explicitly homophobic, starkly racist, and sometimes violent, according to his account, and always featured abuse of young players by upper-classmen.
According to the player, rituals included “Gay Tuesday,” when the lights were turned off in the locker room and everyone had to take off their clothes, and “Hard-R Fridays” where players who refused to say the n-word with a hard “R” were physically beaten, sometimes with a red sex toy.
“We strongly commend the courageous actions of the hockey player who came forth with these allegations, and we support any other victims who may have been hesitant to do the same,” the teachers’ union wrote.
At a meeting of the Danvers School Committee Monday, where a member made a surprise motion to put the superintendent on leave, parents alleged the allegations were “concealed from families.”
The union’s statement also suggests that administrators were “not forthcoming.”
“The school leadership’s secrecy prevented educators from playing an active role in addressing the racism, homophobia, antisemitism and bullying taking place,” they wrote.
The Danvers School Committee is expected to take up the motion to put the superintendent on administrative leave during an executive session on Monday.
