April 21 was a good day for baseball. A crowd cheered both HC and LT players. Although there were strong plays on the field that Thursday, fabrications about this game has become the story.
On April 28, a woman sent a letter to Superintendent Tammy Prentiss alleging that HC players and students (“more than one hundred”) repeatedly shouted racial slurs at LT players. These were reported in the Patch on May 27, 2022. On June 3, Patch reported that HC and LT (working together) interviewed players, coaches and others about the April 21 game.
Neither school found evidence to back up the allegations of racial taunting. The June 3 Patch article reported that HC pitching coach Brent Kittel said, “We’ve taken heat for something we didn’t do. I can tell you the racial slur did not occur.”
On June 7, Patch reported that “Players and coaches for Lyons Township High School’s baseball team heard no racial slurs during an April game, despite a complaint to the contrary ...”
The Chicago Tribune picked up the story on June 21. It reported that some body-shaming comments may have been made by fans, but racist comments by players were not substantiated.
The investigation is over. The allegations are false. Yet D86 refuses to apologize for insinuating that HC baseball players yelled racist comments. A shadow of doubt is useful to Prentiss. Racist undertones justify her crusades. Truth will not stop her.
We, the voters, must stop her. In April 2023, voters will elect three members to the D86 BOE. Your vote will decide whether Prentiss will continue to disparage your community unbounded by facts. — Anne Marrs Huber, Oak Brook
