Illinois girls basketball team just wants to play, not be part of Arizona immigration debate
By APTuesday, May 18, 2010
Ill. team wants out of national immigration debate
DEERFIELD, Ill. — The heated debate over a decision not to allow an Illinois high school basketball team to play at a tournament in Arizona is cooling off with word that the girls are going to Florida instead.
One Highland Park High School player — Morgan Bartelstein — says she and her teammates never wanted to be part of the national debate over Arizona’s controversial immigration bill. That bill prompted officials to call off their trip next December.
At a meeting Monday night, some parents and students supported the decision because they worried the girls might be subject to racial profiling. But opponents accuse the district of using the students as pawns to make a political statement.
Bartelstein says she and her teammates just want to play.
