School Responds to the WNBA Standing With Two High School Students Who Were Reportedly Punished For Wearing A BLM Shirt

WNBA players, including two-time champion Breanna Stewart and 2019 All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler showed support for two high school players in Florida that were reportedly punished for wearing “Black Lives Matter” shirts during warm-ups.

According to Yahoo Sports, the two female players at American Heritage School in Delray Boca were punished for wearing shirts similar to those worn by WNBA players during this past season.

Girls Talk Sports originally reported that Jordana Codio and Khadee Hession wore their Black Lives Matter shirts during warm-ups after another student in the school “allegedly posted a racial slur in a virtual class a few weeks ago” and school officials failed to discipline that student’s actions. 

 The school’s attorney Eric Schwartzriech reached out with a statement: : “no one was suspended, no one was punished, no one was punished for wearing a BLM shirt.”

What is being circulated on social media is based on misinformation.  This all started in our Palm Beach school because a student from a public school (not American Heritage School) infiltrated a virtual class and used a racial slur. American Heritage Deans and our IT department investigated the incident. Action was taken. We promptly informed the principal of the public school whose student committed the act. The facts of this case were communicated to students and families of our Palm Beach campus last week. 

The Delray girls’ basketball team was neither suspended nor punished, and the game was not cancelled due to the fact that some of the players were wearing BLM shirts during warm up, but rather because of concerns about COVID-19.  

American Heritage is the most diverse private school in Florida. We pride ourselves in our diversity, therefore we have implemented a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program.  American Heritage is the only school in South Florida that was ranked one of the top in Philanthropic Contributions. The #1 benefactor of those contributions is an organization that helps over 12,000 underprivileged black youth in Broward County. This is our school’s #1 charity to whom we donate. 

We have had, and will always will have a zero tolerance policy regarding racism, bullying, or any type of discrimination. American Heritage also will not tolerate defamation .whether libel or slander  ,and has a zero tolerance  for either the reckless or intentional spreading of inaccurate facts. 

The school is no stranger to controversy. The school has been in the news for other racial incidents. In December 2018, retired NBA star Dwyane Wade supported an effort to have a student Cyrus Nance, a friend of his son, reinstated after he cursed at a coach. Nance’s mother accused the school of discrimination in that incident.

This morning, @WNBA players are standing in solidarity with two high school student-athletes from American Heritage School (Delray Boca) in Florida, after the institution suspended a game yesterday because they wore #BlackLivesMatter shirts in warm up.
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— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) December 11, 2020