To:  The Somerville Boys Varsity Basketball Team and the citizens of Somerville
Date:  2/12/07

I learned over the weekend that while playing in Arlington on Tuesday the 6th a series of chants between a small number of fans from both Arlington and Somerville escalated into inappropriate, insulting, and unacceptable taunting. It appears that both sides crossed the line, but this in no way diminishes the seriousness of the actions of the few offending Arlington fans. On behalf of the Arlington School District and all the caring people of Arlington, I apologize for not treating your team with the respect you deserve.

I regret that no one in authority from Arlington heard the inappropriate chants, for I’m confident that they would have intervened quickly. I also wish that we had heard of the problem sooner, so that you wouldn’t mistake our not knowing as not caring.

The town and schools of Arlington take the issue of embracing diversity very seriously.  Many groups are actively working to make Arlington a town that welcomes all, and the High School is adding a course in Race and Society. Recently we dedicated a great deal of classroom time school wide to discussing Martin Luther King‚Äôs legacy and the continuing need to forge a society that is accepting of all.

The high school administration will be talking to coaches and athletes encouraging them to report any such unacceptable behavior in the future, so that we may stop it immediately. We will also increase the number of staff members at future games. Most importantly, we will use the sad incident as a teaching moment. Hopefully we will learn that words can hurt and that meanness should not be returned in kind.

Good luck on the rest of the season.

Nate Levenson
Superintendent Arlington Public Schools