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Students at Fairfield Ludlowe and Fairfield Warde high schools are in hot water after allegedly collaborating to create an NCAA basketball tournament-like bracket to allow participants to “vote” on their female classmates.
The brackets reportedly included the names of girls at both schools on the lines where teams would be listed on a traditional bracket, allowing students to vote. The bracket was then posted on social media, school officials said.
Brackets were first posted on Instagram and include mostly freshmen from both high schools.
“We strongly condemn this behavior which is damaging and disparaging to all young women in the freshmen classes of both schools, but also to all Fairfield students and indeed, all women," Ludlowe Principal Greg Hatzis and Warde Principal Paul Cavanna said in a joint statement.
School officials said that the entire situation is under investigation to determine which students were involved in creating the bracelet. According to reports, it is believed that an outside third party was also responsible for creating the social media post and voting mechanism.
“It is discouraging that not only did someone create this post, but other students ‘liked’ it, and this will be addressed,” the principals said. “Our high schools are deeply committed to promoting respect for all students.
The principals said that any student found to be participating or involved will be held accountable, though no specific punishments were outlined.
“Any act that negatively targets a group based on gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual-orientation, learning difference, or any other distinguishing characteristic will not be tolerated.”
The principals said that support is being provided for any students who felt victimized by the bracket or were offended that it made the rounds publicly on social media.
"As a community, we can bind together to not only address the negative behavior but also teach the important lessons that come from the unfortunate choices of a few,” they stated. “The strong reaction to this event underscores the values that we collectively hold as a Fairfield community.”
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