Edina school district investigating hateful messages written on tennis courts
The Edina Police Department is investigating after slurs and other derogatory statements were found written on district-owned tennis courts over the weekend.
A spokesperson with Edina Public Schools said the district learned about the writings after being contacted by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, which reported anti-Asian, anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ+ statements were discovered written in chalk across the tennis courts outside Kuhlman Field on Sunday.
Edina Public Schools statement:
We are saddened and deeply disappointed to learn that this has taken place within our community and on our property. Edina Public Schools does not tolerate behaviors and actions that target members of protected class groups. The messages expressed do not reflect our school district nor the values we uphold.
In addition to reviewing and updating policies accordingly, as part of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts, Edina Public Schools continues our partnership with the City of Edina, the Edina Community Foundation, the Edina Chamber of Commerce and the YMCA UnitedHealth Group Equity Innovation Center of Excellence to host One Town, One Family. These are community meetings focused on developing an action plan to ensure each of our students and staff experience an inclusive, safe and welcoming community. This incident demonstrates the need for this work and other efforts. We invite our community to join us in upcoming One Town, One Family sessions this fall.
"The derogatory comments have been removed and we are investigating the incident," the district concluded, adding a police report has also been filed.
