Three North Dakota high school students wear KKK-style hoods at hockey game, Red River High School principal responds
A local Friday evening hockey game between Red River High School of Grand Forks, and Davies High School of Fargo, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena turned out to be a national story as three students donned Ku Klux Klan-style white robes and hoods for a brief period during the state semi-final hockey contest.
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A photo taken by University of North Dakota student, Shane Schuster, 19, with his cell phone was posted on the social media site Twitter where it was retweeted numerous times and received a lot of attention.
The photo showed the Red River student section during the game. Many students wore white clothing and white face paint, following school tradition that the fans dress in school colors during the state tournament. Called a “white out,” the custom was popularized by the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. But three of the students wore white robes and pointed hoods that bore striking resemblance to the costume of KKK members, according to a Grand Forks Herald report Saturday.
The three students have been identified by school administrators according to a letter from Red River High School principal, Kristopher G. Arason.
Arason says the three students in question did not enter the facility dressed like that and they donned the inappropriate attire for upwards of a minute after the school scored its first goal.
The students removed the garb after people around them told them how offensive it was.
The administration was alerted to the students’ behavior at the completion of the game. The students and parents have been contacted and appropriate action is being taken, although it is not clear what that action is.
In a statement Saturday, Mark Rerick, athletic director for Grand Forks Public Schools, said officials acted quickly Friday night once they were alerted about the attire of the three students.
“After being alerted about the picture of the students in the stands, I immediately conferred with our tournament security staff as well as the security personnel working for Ralph Engelstad Arena,” Rerick said in the statement released Saturday morning.
“We, as a school, are extremely disappointed with the behavior of these three students,” Principal Kris Arason said in a statement. “This behavior is not a representation of our school or student body.”
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