Oskaloosa Schools Explain Homecoming Game Forfeit, Investigation and Next Steps

Oskaloosa, Iowa – School officials decided to cancel the pep rally and the varsity football game on Friday, as well as to postpone the Homecoming dance, because of reports that night of unsolicited toilet paper being thrown that night, damage to property, the use of racial slurs, and intimidating behavior during the Homecoming events.

The football game has not been rescheduled and is regarded as a forfeit. The dance will now take place on a date that has not yet been announced, since more than 80 students have come forward to report that they were involved.

Mike Fisher, the superintendent of the Oskaloosa Schools, told Oskaloosa News on Monday that the decision to cancel the game did not mean every student or football player had done something wrong. He explained that the school authorities had only a few hours in which to go over the reports and thus were not able to establish individual responsibility before Friday night.

The district and the police are carrying out their own investigations, the two inquiries having different aims and possibly resulting in different outcomes.

Thursday, Sept. 17: Homecoming Tradition and Reports of Serious Conduct

On Thursday evening, the well-established Homecoming custom of students toilet-papering houses took place. Fisher said some teachers knew the students were coming and even took part by throwing toilet paper back at them.

“As long as teepeeing is consensual—so long as there is consent—and as long as the property owner agrees to it, we aren’t having any problems,” Fisher said.

The district stated that some of the behavior reported was far more severe than that which had been traditionally accepted. The reports mentioned vandalism, the use of racial slurs, inappropriate language addressed to staff, and actions which made families feel threatened or unsafe.

Fisher stated that the district had received reports of people beating on windows, using tree branches to hit a house, shouting racial comments and standing in a staff member’s yard while wearing ski masks. He also mentioned that there had been reported damage to a student’s vehicle and that property was allegedly taken from it.

The reports are still under investigation, and the district has not publicly named any students or released individual findings.

Fisher said law enforcement contacted many students Thursday night, and the district later used information collected by police to match names with students who came forward.

Friday, Sept. 18: School Leaders Had Hours to Decide

Fisher said that when he woke up Friday morning, he found several reports of property damage, inappropriate language, and staff members feeling intimidated.

The school administrators, along with Activities Director Jamie Jacobs and head football coach Brett Doud, then had to decide whether the varsity game could go ahead that evening.

Later, several community members questioned the district for not punishing only the students at fault and letting the others take part.

“We didn’t have time,” Fisher said, “because you couldn’t have done it in six hours.”

Fisher stated that the school authorities did not wish for any students who might have been involved in serious misconduct to represent Oskaloosa that night; at the same time they were aware that canceling the game would have an impact on the players, coaches, band members, cheerleaders, families, alumni, and community members who had taken no part in it.

The district decided to cancel the pep assembly, cancel the varsity football game, and put off the dance. Students who took part in the activities on Thursday were instructed to go to the high school office by noon on Monday and give an explanation of what they had done.

Jacobs and Doud stated in a joint message to the families and the community that the football game would not be rescheduled and would be counted as a forfeit.

They said their hearts went out to the students suffering the effects of having to give up their Friday night activities because of other people’s decisions, and that they genuinely apologized.

The message said the activities extend the classroom and that students have a responsibility to represent Oskaloosa with respect, responsibility, and pride.

When the district made its first release, Jacobs said accountability should also give students an opportunity to learn and understand how their choices affected other people, as well as to repair any harm that may have been caused.

As Jacobs put it, “showing love usually involves accountability and high expectations.”

Fisher said an incident also affected the decision the previous school year; he added that the lawns of two staff members had been spray-painted, one with an offensive term, and that, as a result of the investigation, three students were taken off the athletic team.

Fisher said the district provided only a small amount of detail back then because the staff members involved wanted the issue handled in secrecy. He also said that the reports for this year concerned a much larger number of people and seemed to represent an escalation from the earlier incident.

On Monday, 21st of September, over eighty students came forward.

By Monday, over 80 students had voluntarily reported having taken part in the activities on Thursday. Fisher stated that the district had already spoken to about 50 students and was still getting in touch with their parents.

He also addressed reports that the students had not attended school on Monday. Fisher explained that Monday was a professional-development day arranged about a year earlier and not added as a result of the Homecoming investigation.

Fisher said students who report only normal toilet-papering will likely receive a warning and be asked to ensure the property owner welcomes the activity.

The investigation in the district is concentrating on reports involving property destruction, the taking of property, threatening or intimidating behavior, the use of racial language, and other serious misconduct.

Students are expected to be honest when interviewed. According to the district’s update, a student whose only involvement had been toilet-papering would be given a warning and offered a chance to learn. The district also said dishonesty about more serious behavior could result in further consequences.

Fisher said almost all students whose names law enforcement had given to the district had come forward. As a result of the bona fide response, the district has announced its intention to reschedule the Homecoming dance, though no date has yet been set.

School leaders and the Oskaloosa High School Student Council will also create a student-run plan for the future Homecoming events that keeps the tradition intact while ensuring the safety of people and property.

Police and School Investigations Have Different Jobs

The law-enforcement investigation and the school investigation are proceeding simultaneously, but one is not replacing the other.

The authorities are looking into whether the behavior in question broke criminal law; in Iowa, intentional damage, defacing, or destruction of another person’s property would be considered criminal mischief. The police are able to gather evidence, talk to witnesses and supply information that could lead to criminal charges. It is the prosecutors, and not the school district, who deal with criminal cases on the government’s behalf.

Fisher stated that we don’t have the ability to press charges.

In this instance, the district’s authority is different. Fisher said the incidents in question took place off school premises and outside school hours, and the district is not using suspension or expulsion as a response to that off-campus behavior. Rather, it can decide whether students who take part in school activities have violated Oskaloosa’s Good Conduct Code.

Fisher stated that the district can impose school discipline through a good conduct code, including limitations on participation in sports, the performing arts, and other activities.

A student may face consequences for a school activity even if no criminal charges are brought against them. Similarly, the police may keep investigating a possible crime even after the school has made its eligibility decision. The consequences imposed by the school affect the right to represent Oskaloosa; they are not criminal convictions or court penalties.

The handbook for the district’s current high school describes the division by stating that school resource officers handle issues related to criminal law, while administrators handle school discipline.

Fisher stated that students in the same group or vehicle should not be regarded as having the same level of responsibility; the district had to establish what each person did, what each person knew, and whether anyone took part in or encouraged the conduct.

What the Good Conduct Code Allows

The Good Conduct Code outlined in Oskaloosa High School’s 2026-27 handbook applies continuously to students in grades nine through twelve who take part in co-curricular activities. This includes athletics, cheerleading, dance and drill, marching band, other music groups, drama, FFA, robotics, the Homecoming and prom courts, Student Council, and all other activities in which students represent the school or the community.

The code states that participants must meet a stricter standard since taking part in the activities is a privilege; it forbids breaches of criminal law, such as assault, criminal mischief, and theft, and also permits disciplinary action if a student does not represent the Oskaloosa Schools in a way that is acceptable to the coach or sponsor, the activities director, and the administration.

Where a first offense under the Good Conduct rule involves suspension from 25 percent of the scheduled contests or performance dates, with a minimum of one event, the student also has their open-campus privileges withdrawn for one trimester.

The handbook includes a clause that reduces a first penalty by half if the student reports the violation before a school employee does. Further penalties are imposed for subsequent violations. A student who has been found to have committed a felony is prohibited from taking part in any activities for one calendar year.

The penalties mentioned are imposed after an investigation and are separate from the decision made on Friday to cancel the entire football match because school authorities had not had enough time to establish individual responsibility.

The handbook states that the coach, the activities director, and the assistant principal are responsible for making Good Conduct decisions, and students can appeal those decisions through the principal, the superintendent, and the Board of Directors.

Why the District Hired an Independent Investigator

Fisher stated that the independent investigator was Ann Morgan, a former school administrator who looks at cases relating to schools on a contractual basis. He also said that the district has employed Morgan for other investigations.

He said hiring someone from outside the district reduces concerns that a local administrator may be too strict or too lenient because of personal connections. Morgan will also review how district administrators handled the matter.

Fisher said that the investigation is expected to cost around $3,000 and that the total amount will stay under $5,000. He added that the separate investigation is also intended to proceed quickly so that the district can decide on any activity consequences before the next football game.

Fisher said he expects Oskaloosa will have enough eligible players to form a team, even though the investigation was still ongoing when he spoke to Oskaloosa News.

The district has stated that students involved only in normal toilet-papering should not expect severe Good Conduct penalties; the independent investigator will focus on allegations involving property destruction, theft, intimidation, threats, or other serious misconduct.

What Happens Next

The district will continue interviewing students, contacting their families, and comparing that information with what law enforcement collected. The independent investigator will prepare his findings and recommendations, and school administrators will then decide whether to impose individual Good Conduct sanctions.

Law enforcement will decide separately whether to refer any cases for criminal action. The district has said students involved in serious misconduct may face consequences for their school activities as well as criminal charges.

Because student disciplinary records are confidential, the district may not be able to release names or specific individual results. Fisher stated that school officials will provide as much general information as the law permits.

The district will also set an updated date for the Homecoming dance and work with the Student Council on rules for future Homecoming celebrations.

Fisher said the aim is to ensure accountability without declaring each student involved a bad person.

“We had children who made mistakes,” Fisher said. “That doesn’t mean they were horrible human beings.”

He said the district’s task now is to determine individual responsibility, apply consequences where needed, and help students learn from what happened.