A bad apple may not spoil the entire bunch, but it certainly seems that way for a New Jersey high school, which saw all of its football programs canned amid rumours of bullying and hazing. Parents and students are up in arms over the school's seemingly indiscriminate punishment.
Having snared three state championships in the past four years, Sayreville High School was on top of the scoreboard, yet it can now kiss goodbye any dreams of winning after play was cancelled just four games in.
"There were incidences of harassment, intimidation, and bullying that took place on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level, and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated and, in general, accepted,'' said Sayreville's superintendent, Richard Labbe.
While the police investigate the offences of seniors against freshmen, all three levels of football—varsity, jayvee, and freshman—were cut short, a decision that affects cheerleaders and band members, too.
At this stage, no one has been suspended or charged. Serious allegations deserve a serious inquest, yet parents and students alike are outraged at being penalized for what may turn out to be the actions of a select few.
Parents have called the school's call "devastating" and "unfair." Though I can see how the decision would come as a blow to students who may have been uninvolved, I personally feel that officials are right to come down hard in this case.
Team sports are just that. If charges of harassment and bullying are as grave and pervasive as alleged, then everyone who is part of the "team" has a duty to report what they've witnessed or overheard. Kids need to know that turning a blind eye can be akin to complicity.
Too often schools claim they have a "zero tolerance policy" toward bullying and harassment, yet fail to truly protect the vulnerable when push comes to shove.
You tell me: Was this school right to cancel the rest of the football season?
Is it possible to 'bully proof' your child?
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