WILSON, Pa. — A Wilson Area High School football coach has resigned after a video clip allegedly showing him using a racial slur against a Black man blew up online last week.
Wilson Area High School assistant football coach and baseball coach Jason Buckman resigned from his position at the Wilson Area School Board meeting Monday, with the board unanimously approving the decision.
The board made no reference to individuals involved, after WASD Superintendent Harrison Bailey III referred to the vote as a personnel matter.
The action comes just days after a video clip featuring what appears to be Buckman using a slur spread across multiple social media platforms.
It stirred some parents in the district and members of the community to call for a response from school officials.
"The WASD is wholeheartedly committed to celebrating our diverse student body and creating safe environments for ALL members of our school community."Wilson Area Schools Superintendent Harrison Bailey III
On Thursday, WASD Superintendent Harrison Bailey III issued a statement addressing the video, without identifying the people in it.
"Our administration is aware of the incident, we are investigating it, and will act in strict accordance with our policies," the statement reads.
"Although I am legally unable to publicly address the details of the situation directly, I need to be very clear about where we stand.
"The WASD is wholeheartedly committed to celebrating our diverse student body and creating safe environments for ALL members of our school community.
"Regardless of the situation, comments that involve discriminatory statements are harmful and have no place in a just society.
"As a result, we cannot and will not accept this type of behavior by any member of our school community. In these difficult times, lifting each up in the spirit of allyship, togetherness, and connection is more important now than ever.
"That is the expectation for every staff member and student in our district. I want to personally thank all of you for your continued commitment to supporting each other and working to make the WASD a place where every student feels loved."
Board member Jonathan Jones did allude to the video clip during his committee report for the WASD Ally Team at the Monday meeting.
“As all of you are aware, recently, a member of our community was captured on video saying some things that don't accurately reflect our district or our beliefs or our values,” Jones said.
“We had a very spirited conversation about our district, the future of our district, what we believe in and why we believe in it, the definition of allyship, and how do we as a district move forward? How do we make sure that everyone shares our values? Where do we move from here? Do our students feel supported? Do our staff feel supported?”
“And if you've read any of the comments online, as the posts have gone up and down, some of them were great reflections of who we are as a community. Others were not. So it was really important that we had a positive conversation, and I think we did. I walked away feeling really great. Dr. Bailey shared his thoughts and his plans.”
The clip, and community response
The clip, which got nearly 5,000 views from one Reel post on Facebook, allegedly shows Buckman cursing at and using a slur directed at a Black man.
Members of various Easton and Wilson-based groups have shared the clip, with several individuals identifying the man in question as Buckman.
The video begins after the encounter already has started, and does not explain how the man in the car and the person filming began to interact.
The person identified as Buckman can be seen in his vehicle in the clip, using expletives toward the man filming, with the man responding, “Look at this d—-head right here.”
After Buckman states he will contact the police, the individual filming the interaction responds, “Go ahead, you’re the one that grabbed my phone.”
Buckman can then be heard using another expletive to tell the man to get "out of here," then uses a racial slur.
LehighValleyNews.com has reached out to Wilson Area School District and Wilson Area Police Department for comment on the matter.
A representative from the police department referred the request to the school district, which has yet to respond as of publication.
A member of the Everything EASTON Facebook group stated the video had been taken down, and requested anyone with a copy to send it to her so she could pass it along to Bailey.
A follow-up on the post showed Groff had been sent a copy of the clip, which she said she sent to Bailey.
Numerous commenters agreed with Groff's sentiments, calling for some form of punishment for Buckman.
