Students walk to Lowell High School, in San Francisco, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Charles Russo/SFGATE)
One of San Francisco's highest-ranked schools will forfeit three of its varsity baseball games amid reports of racist taunting that allegedly occurred at a game last spring. An investigation published Friday by the Academic Athletic Association and CIF San Francisco City Section, the governing organizations of the school's teams, determined that on May 15, Lowell's varsity baseball team behaved in an "unsportsmanlike" manner while watching the championship junior varsity game versus Lincoln High School. Athletics officials said the team violated several of the association's bylaws, including its conduct and hazing policies. The team is ordered to forfeit its games against three rivals in the 2026-2027 season: Lincoln High School, Galileo Academy and Washington High School. Officials have not set a date for the games yet, but they were chosen "based on the standings last season and the impact it will have on standings in the 2026-2027 season," the letter read. Officials did not directly name the alleged racist incident or other allegations, but in a statement to SFGATE, school district officials said anyone who has witnessed or experienced "racialized harm" is urged to report it. "We want to emphasize that there is no place for racism, discrimination, or racialized harm in the Lowell community or anywhere in SFUSD," the district said. After the alleged racist comments were reported in May, the Lowell administration "immediately" contacted the Lincoln baseball team, as well as students and family members who were affected. Although it is unclear what disciplinary actions were taken, the district said "individual players took accountability for their individual actions." The school district did not respond to SFGATE's specific questions about the allegations. In a video previously viewed by SFGATE, a racist taunt was allegedly used by Lowell's varsity players at the top of the seventh inning during the May 15 district-run championship JV game while Lowell was in the lead. (Lincoln's team tied the game that inning and won the title in extras.) The district's letter said it was informed of the incident the next day, on May 16. What the letter doesn't address is why the Lowell varsity team played against Lincoln in the San Francisco Section's varsity championship game at Oracle Park on May 18, three days after the incident and two days after the district says it was first informed of it. With Lowell's coach in the dugout for that game, the Cardinals won 2-1 to take home the section championship and earn a spot in the regional tournament. It was only four days after that game, on May 22, that Lowell Principal Jan Bautista sent a letter to students and families of the varsity baseball team, condemning the discriminatory behavior. The varsity team's entire coaching staff was also placed on indefinite leave by district officials at that time, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) Lowell lost in the first round of the regional tournament. In its Tuesday statement to SFGATE, district officials said the school will find an interim coach for the upcoming season, and the district is expected to search for a permanent coach for the future. Before the season starts, staff members and players connected to the junior varsity and varsity baseball teams will also be required to complete several courses on sportsmanship, implicit biases, bullying, hazing and inappropriate behaviors. "Participation in school sports programs is a privilege, not a right. To earn that privilege, student-athletes must abide by the rules and they must conduct themselves, on and off the field, as positive role models who exemplify good character," the Aug. 28 letter addressed to Lowell administrators and athletics staff read. More News - Ex-Cal softball player alleges coach coerced her into sexual relationship - Decades-old Napa winery files for bankruptcy, faces $36M in debt - With rumors of a hurricane in California, here's what to expect - Ex-child actor claims she was repeatedly raped during Disney filming Sign up for SFGATE's breaking news email This article originally published at 'No place for racism': SF's Lowell baseball team ordered to forfeit games.