ROCKVILLE, Md. -- School officials are investigating allegations that students at a high school basketball game last weekend racially taunted a black player, News4's Chris Gordon reported First on 4.

Former TV sportscaster Howard Cosell was widely criticized when he used the racially sensitive term once. Former Georgetown University great Patrick Ewing was once called the term at a game at Syracuse University.

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Now people are asking if local high school students knew how offensive the term was when they called a player a "monkey" during last Friday's game at Magruder High School.

A small group of Magruder students started the chant as a player from Winston Churchill High School lined up at the foul line during the second half.

The chant offended Martin Lewis and other Churchill parents.

"I turned to my person sitting next to me and said, 'Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing? Because it sounded like the word "monkey."' And he said, 'Absolutely,'" Lewis said. "I said, 'You've got to be kidding me in this day and age.'"

"The chant was something like, 'Miss it, monkey,' and I said, 'Oh no, this can't stand, there's something wrong with this,'" Lewis said.

Lewis e-mailed the Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent informing him of the students' racially insensitive and complaining that no Magruder official stopped it.

Magruder Principal Lee Evans said Monday morning he made an announcement over the school's public address system and personally met with students at lunch to tell them such conduct is unacceptable.

Evans met with a cheering group called the "Colonel Crazies," the group who are responsible for the cheer.

A member of the group told News4 they did not mean for the cheer to be offensive.

"I've been in contact with Churchill's principal and, certainly, have issued an apology on behalf of the Magruder High School community," Evans said.

"This is a very unfortunate incident. It certainly doesn't represent the vast majority of our students," he said. "We have 2,100 students who certainly would never take part in saying or doing anything that would be demeaning or disrespectful to anyone, and that's what we see on a day-to-day basis."