Naperville Central High School launches hate speech investigation after racist comments allegedly written on football player’s locker

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) — Naperville Police are investigating an incident involving a Naperville Central High School student. The mother of a sophomore football player said a racial slur was written on her son’s locker.

Now she wants the school to take action.

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The incident occurred just after the second Naperville Central football game a week ago.

The 15-year-old player discovered a racial slur on the front of his locker.

The teen’s mother said she reported the incident to the school, but they have not identified who is responsible for the writing.

The teen’s mother said coaches apparently talked to the team about it, but no one took responsibility.

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The school district sent an email to parents describing the incident, saying in part: “This incident is currently under active investigation and we are committed to providing the necessary support to all affected students.”

The school also said it has immediately launched an investigation into what it calls an incident of hate speech.

Some DuPage County civil rights leaders say the response is insufficient.

“They should have given him a new locker and ripped the door off,” said Michael Childress, president of the DuPage County NAACP.

The incident was also reported to the school resource officer, who is part of the Naperville department, who said the matter is under investigation.

The teen’s mother said she believes it should be considered a hate crime.

Naperville Central’s sophomore team plays Friday night and Quiana Richardson said her son plans to play.