Patchogue-Medford High players taunted, subjected to 'racial slurs' at West Islip High basketball game

Students attending a West Islip High School boys basketball game on Friday night "verbally taunted" members of the opposing Patchogue-Medford team with "highly inappropriate racial remarks," according to one official — prompting school leaders to apologize to the district.

A day after the game, which West Islip won 48-38, Patchogue-Medford's athletic director, Anthony Cracco, wrote in a letter to parents that, "Some fans directed taunts and racial slurs at our players, an act that is both unacceptable and deeply troubling."

School officials did not elaborate on the nature of the remarks. 

Cracco noted in the Saturday letter that West Islip’s administrative team "acted swiftly and are actively working to collect evidence to ensure that those involved are held accountable."

West Islip Superintendent Paul Romanelli, in his own letter to families Monday, called the behavior "concerning and completely unacceptable." He said the district has been in contact with members of the Patchogue-Medford administrative team to apologize for the actions of their students.

"These actions were shameful, and it is truly sad that we are still seeing incidents involving race both locally and across the globe," Romanelli said in his letter. "I am thankful for the dedicated staff members that worked tirelessly throughout the weekend to ensure we had all the necessary information to move forward with addressing this issue in a timely manner."

According to state data from 2023-24, 50% of Patchogue-Medford High School students are Latino, while 38% are white and 7% are Black. West Islip High School's student population is about 81% white, 14% Latino and 1% Black.  

Romanelli added in his letter that all students involved in the incident have been identified and steps have been taken to "hold them accountable" for their actions. He did not elaborate.  

"This situation does not define us, and I am hopeful that this can be a learning experience for our district as actions like this affect us all," he wrote.

Both Patchogue-Medford and West Islip officials declined to comment further on Tuesday.