WESTPORT — An investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism and racism directed toward the Staples football team and fans at last Friday’s game in Cheshire finds the claims were inflamed by social media while specific accusations were unsupported.

Abusive and racist behavior, however, was triggered online in the aftermath of the game, Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice said in a lengthy statement Thursday.

Scarice, in an email issued to the community, detailed the steps school and police investigators have taken since the allegations exploded on social media late Friday following Staples’ football game with Cheshire High.

The investigation involved not only himself and Cheshire Supt. Jeffrey Solan, Scarice said, but also the police chiefs in both communities, the high schools’ respective principals and athletic directors, officials from the state chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and rabbis in Westport and Hamden.

“The process was thorough and comprehensive,” the superintendent said Thursday, “and I am confident that we have clarity on what happened Friday night, as well as a constructive plan to move forward.” 

Among the initial claims were that fans in the Cheshire stands were derisively waving an Israeli flag, as well as a Confederate flag, and chanting hate-tinged taunts at the visiting Westporters.

Cheshire school administrators and police interviewed eyewitnesses, including the two students who brought the Israeli flag to the game, Scarice said.

Meanwhile, seven Staples Cheer Team members, whose social-media post complained about the incidents, were interviewed by Staples Principal Stafford Thomas, as well as a Westport student of color who later was targeted by “disgusting racial slurs” via social media, Scarice said.

Local school and government leaders also discussed fallout from the incident with Jewish and Black community leaders in Westport. And followup talks between Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn of The Conservative Synagogue in Westport and Rabbi Benjamin Scolnic of Temple Beth Shalom in Hamden — who knows the students who waved the Israeli flag — proved critical to the probe, Scarice said.

The investigation findings

“An Israeli flag was waved throughout much of the game Friday night by two Cheshire students, particularly when Cheshire scored or Staples committed a penalty,” the lengthy Scarice statement says.

“After halftime, members of our Cheer team approached the Cheshire police to ask that the Israeli flag be taken down. Although the Cheshire police and administration confirm they directed the students to take the flag down, there are Staples student reports of the flag waving later in the game.

“After the game, the social media account, ‘Wreckers SuperFans’ and the Staples Cheer team, posted an image on Instagram of the Israeli flag waving in the Cheshire student section with a message about anti-Semitic and racist remarks and insulting chants throughout the game, as well as the waving of the Confederate flag,” the statement continues.

“Both school administrations confirmed that chants of ‘Daddy’s money’ were directed at Staples students and players. This was not done in unison with the waving of the Israeli flag. Racist or anti-Semitic chants, were not corroborated. There is no corroboration of the presence or sighting of a Confederate flag. 

“The Staples and Cheshire ‘SuperFans’ respectfully communicated late Friday evening through social media and the ‘Wreckers SuperFans’ took down the post following that discussion. The Cheer team post was taken down following a communication with the Staples Cheer coach,” Scarice said.

“Saturday morning, a Staples student of color, who was not at the game, posted a comment on a friend’s Instagram responding to the earlier post about the game. He posted, ‘The audacity.’ What transpired in response was a series of horrific and unspeakable racial slurs directed toward this Staples student. The source of the slurs was an untraceable ‘burner’ account, which is a social media account used to post anonymously to avoid having posts traced. This is most disturbing and we offered to provide support for this student. 

“In the investigation, the Cheshire administration shared that the two students who waved the Israeli flag are Jewish and that they brought the flag to the game because it was a school spirit “Red, White & Blue Nite” in the student section. In response to doubts about this claim, in my meeting with the Westport area rabbis and Jewish communal leaders on Monday, Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn of The Conservative Synagogue offered to speak directly to the Rabbi of Temple Beth David in Cheshire to offer his services in resolving this matter. 

“Rabbi Wiederhorn was referred to Temple Beth Shalom in Hamden, where the two boys worship, and spoke directly to Rabbi Benjamin Scolnic. Rabbi Scolnic shared that he has known the boys their entire lives, that he knows them very well, that they are not mean-spirited, and that they are very proud Jews. Rabbi Scolnic is completely confident that there was no malice or anti-Semitism intended and that unfortunately these accusations have mischaracterized the two boys.  

“Based on feedback from the Cheshire administration, the Cheshire police department, the Westport area Rabbis and Jewish communal leaders, Rabbi Scolnic, and our partners with the ADL, I have no reason to question these conclusions,” Scarice wrote.

Additional context

Scarice said, in part, the allegations may have arisen because “Staples athletes and fans have experienced anti-Semitism at athletic events in the past. Westport has a considerable Jewish community, and approximately one-third of the Cheer team is Jewish.”

The events last Friday, “the history of anti-Semitism directed toward our students, the peculiarity of the waving of the Israeli flag at a football game, along with the intensity of the night, contributed to a considerable sense of threat on the part of Staples students. 

“It is critically important to affirm the impact of the night on our students and to support them as we constructively move forward, and to meaningfully learn from these events,” the superintendent said.

And while Scarice said he does not doubt the findings of the investigation, “it is important to note again that heinous, racist, untraceable messages were indeed sent through social media to a Staples student of color in the aftermath of this game. 

“These messages have been turned over to the police and we will continue to offer support to this student.”

Going forward

Scarice said he plans to invite Cheshire and Staples students “involved to convene, facilitated by the ADL, so that amends can be made and appropriate closure can be provided to both groups of students.  

“In dealing with young adults, there are opportunities for learning experiences in events such as these.”