Some Butler High cheerleaders will face discipline after use of ‘insensitive banner’
Some members of the Butler High School cheerleading team will face consequences after displaying a banner school officials have deemed “insensitive.”
Prior to the Butler football team’s game against Charlotte Catholic this past Friday, the cheer team held up a banner for the Bulldogs to run through on their way to the field. The banner read: “Sniff, Sniff. You smell that? Privilege.” It was an apparent nod to the fact that Charlotte Catholic is a private school that plays in the predominately public N.C. High School Athletic Association.
Several Charlotte Catholic boosters and fans reached out to The Observer after the game saying the banner was insensitive.
On Monday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson Vicki Grooms sent a statement to The Observer.
“CMS is aware of an insensitive banner displayed by the Butler cheerleading squad prior to the school’s football game versus Charlotte Catholic last Friday,” the statement read. “The individuals responsible will face consequences as a result of that banner display. School and district officials will offer no specific information about this disciplinary matter.”
Grooms said that Butler principal Vincent Golden and learning community Supt. Tangela Williams had spoken with administrators at Catholic and offered a verbal apology. In addition, Grooms said, the Butler cheerleaders have sent an apology to the Catholic cheerleaders, and that there would be a meeting between the squads to, according to the statement, “facilitate goodwill and understanding.”
In a statement, Catholic principal Kurt Telford said: “We appreciate the outreach we’ve received from the Butler High School community and are confident our good relationship with them will continue. We understand how emotions surrounding sports events can sometimes result in actions that do not represent an organization’s values. It is our hope that everyone will learn from such moments because at the end of the day we are all one community.”
This story was originally published October 18, 2021 at 6:09 PM.
