The attorney general of Massachusetts has determined that an investigation into racist and homophobic behavior within the Danvers High School hockey team was completely fumbled by school authorities and local police.
“[Danvers Public School] District has agreed to take significant steps to improve its ability to prevent, investigate, and address hate and bias incidents, particularly in its athletics program,” the office of state Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement Monday.
“DPSD failed to properly respond to several years of bullying and harassment in violation of the state’s Anti-Bullying Law, Student Antidiscrimination Act, and Fair Educational Practices Act,” the statement continued. “Players on the hockey team engaged in hazing rituals that involved racist, homophobic, and physically and sexually abusive behavior, which were part of a toxic team culture that developed and persisted because the varsity hockey coach failed to properly supervise the team.”
The attorney general’s office began looking into the culture of Danvers’ hockey team in November, WCVB 5 Boston reported.
For over a year and a half, toxic behavior between teammates was allegedly covered up. In an interview with The Boston Globe, one player claimed that he endured bullying and sexual abuse when he did not acquiesce to using anti-Black racial slurs during “Hard R Fridays.” He also said that players would undress and be assaulted with the lights off in the locker room on “Gay Tuesdays.” Players also made jokes about Jews and the Holocaust and mocked Black students at Danvers, according to the Globe. The whistleblowing hockey player allegedly told a school official about what was happening on the team in 2020, but the school allegedly kept the accusations hidden from the public. School officials hired a private investigator, according to the Globe, but the investigator disregarded the team’s behavior and blew it off.
“It is unacceptable that not a single adult was held accountable,” school board member Alice Campbell said during a November meeting, according to the Globe. “With a lack of real action, we failed our students, parents, caregivers, and community members.”
Hockey coach Stephen Baldassare, who previously served as a sergeant with the Danvers Police, resigned from his post. According to the attorney general’s office, Badassare will no longer be able to have a role in the Danvers School Resource Officer Program.
In a partnership with Healey’s office, Danvers Public School District agreed to amend its policies on harassment and bullying, provide adequate training for teachers and staff in regard to bullying and harassment, help students identify mistreatment and bias, and acknowledged that the attorney general’s office would be notified whenever there are reports of discrimination.
“Racism, homophobia, and bigotry of any kind have no place in our locker rooms, rinks, or playing fields; we need to create a safe and supportive environment for our students to grow and learn,” Healey said. “The Danvers Public School District has committed to making needed changes to improve the culture in its schools and athletics program, protect students’ rights, and ensure that incidents of hate and bias are never overlooked again.”