School officials and law enforcement are investigating a football team hazing incident that occurred at Reagan High School in Winston-Salem, N.C., during a lightning delay.
According to WXII 12, the incident took place in the locker room. Parents claimed that football players clapped while ripping off one student-athlete’s clothing. Coaches who heard the uproar intervened quickly, blowing their whistles to stop the hazing incident.
The coach contacted the parents of those involved that day and addressed the team, but school officials said that will not be the end of the disciplinary action.
In a statement, the school said, “The coaching staff will not handle the required discipline of any students found to have taken part in this activity. Discipline will take place after facts are collected from our investigation.”
An official police report has not been filed related to the incident, but the Forsyth County sheriff’s office did tell WXII 12 that they were investigating related allegations.
Reagan High School principal, Brent Atkinson also released a statement regarding the hazing incident. He said, “As you know, there have been a lot of stories and allegations circulating on social and traditional media platforms about an event at football practice on Tuesday, August 11. I want you to know that first, and foremost, we take any allegations of bullying or similar behavior extremely seriously. The health and safety of our students is our highest priority. We are conducting a thorough investigation into what happened. If we find that any individual acted inappropriately or in violation of our local policies, we will take the necessary disciplinary action. Due to state and federal privacy laws, I will not be able to share any confidential information publicly. I want to encourage any student to let the administrative team or another trusted adult know if they see or hear of any disturbing behavior, or if they feel threatened in any way. I want to you thank you for your support of Reagan High School and we want every student to have a great year in Raider Nation!”
