High School cheerleaders banned for basketball season after displaying inappropriate behaviour

The misbehaving cheerleading team went rogue and brought so much shame upon its school. Photo / Getty

A high school in Atlanta has dumped its cheerleading squad after the misbehaving group of girls went rogue and caught unwanted attention.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that the Grady High School cheerleaders were suspended for the remainder of the varsity basketball season after being caught cursing, taunting opponents, and leaving the stands to socialise.

In an open letter to parents, Grady High School principal Betsy Bockman detailed the girls' inappropriate actions and said the decision to ban them was made after a game against Jackson High School on January 15.

"Over the basketball season, I have witnessed (and also had to intervene in) serious situations of behaviour and actions on the part of our cheer team that reflect poorly on Grady," Bockman wrote.

"I have observed our cheer team: Eating and drinking frequently during games, leaving the stands during games to socialise, using profanity, engaging in cheers and displaying gestures and movements that are creating unwanted attention and detract from what Grady should be about, engaging in taunting of other teams and other teams, cheerleaders, adults associated with cheerleading displaying behaviours that are inappropriate."

The most "distressing" of the incidents Bockman said she witnessed was at Maynard Jackson High School, where members of the cheerleading team were caught making "offensive remarks" and displaying other inappropriate behaviour.

"When the team went to the bus, members of the team recorded themselves using very profane language directed toward adults including Jackson administrators, school resource officers, and Jackson parents as well as Jackson students," Bockman wrote.

"This recording was then posted on social media where it was shared multiple times.

"The behaviours and atmosphere created by the cheerleaders are too informal and unprofessional and reflect negatively on the cheer athletes, basketball teams and Grady."

Bockman said that the school would focus on restoring its now tainted reputation and that the cheerleading squad would remain suspended until the start of the following school year.