Nassau HS officials investigate taunting Snapchat video
Nassau County high school athletics officials said Wednesday they are investigating a video posted on Snapchat and attributed to a member of the Division Avenue High School varsity baseball team, in which the Valley Stream North team is taunted with profanities.
Pat Pizzarelli, executive director of Section VIII, the governing body for public school sports in Nassau, told Newsday that school district officials in Valley Stream and in Levittown, where Division is located, are working together on the investigation.
“I’ve spoken with the people who will be conducting the investigation and have full confidence that they will get to the bottom of it,” Pizzarelli said. “This kind of thing is no good for anybody.”
In a statement to Newsday, Levittown superintendent Tonie McDonald said, “The district holds all student-athletes to a high standard of sportsmanship during competition and off the field. Following a recent boys varsity baseball game these expectations were not upheld by some of our players. Our coaches and administration immediately addressed the situation with the team as well as reached out to the opposing school to express apologies. While the district does not comment on individual student disciplinary matters, the situation is being handled accordingly with all parties.”
Valley Stream district athletic director Scott Stueber said officials from his district contacted officials from the Levittown school district on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’re looking into the situation and the video,” he said. “In our school district and in Section VIII, we do not condone this sort of negative behavior being directed at our students, teams, fans or [game] officials.”
Stueber said investigations such as these typically involve interviews with individuals involved in creating and posting the video, those seen participating in the video and those who are targeted in the video.
Division and Valley Stream North are playing a three-game regular-season series this week. Division (8-0) won the first two games, played Monday and Tuesday, and is scheduled to host the Spartans (1-7) on Thursday afternoon in the series finale. Pizzarelli said extra security personnel have been assigned to Thursday’s game.
“For us, the top priority is protecting our kids,” Stueber said. “Everyone should feel safe when participating in or attending athletics events.”