A Connecticut high school has apologized and launched an investigation after a group of students chanted “Trump, Trump, Trump” during a recent basketball game.

“While students’ right to free speech and forming educated opinions about politics and current events is a cornerstone of our educational system, the exact point where political opinion converges with disrespect, discrimination or hate speech must be separated,” Canton High School principal Andrew DiPippo wrote in a letter to students and parents.

The chanting happened during a game with Classical Magnet School, described by the Hartford Courant as a predominantly black and Latino school.

School district officials were “aghast” that young people would chant the name of the president, calling it “unacceptable conduct.”

Canton Schools Superintendent Kevin Case told the newspaper that Trump’s name “could be perceived as offensive, and anything that is perceived as disrespectful or hateful we don’t tolerate.”

The school has since offered a public apology.

“We have a reputation as a welcoming community, and these students crossed this line with their comments and have damaged our reputation,” the principal added.

The only people damaging the reputation of Canton High School are the principal and school board.

Based on local news coverage, they have jumped to some mighty offensive conclusions. There’s absolutely no evidence that racism had anything to do with the chanting.

“Many people perceived these comments to be divisive in the context of an athletic event,” the principal wrote.

Even the superintendent admitted that Trump’s name could only be “perceived” as being offensive.

But in the warped minds of some public school educators, perception is reality — the truth be damned.

Maybe, just maybe, the Canton High School kids were just demonstrating some school spirit while they tried to throw the other team off its game?

This is a slam-dunk example of anti-American, liberal ideology.

“We will not tolerate issues of disrespect,” the principal warned students and parents.

That’s not exactly accurate.

What school officials will not tolerate is any speech they disagree with. What they will not tolerate is any ideology they oppose. What they will not tolerate is free speech.

You see, the Left really does believe that garbage Hillary Clinton was spewing during the 2016 presidential campaign. It really does believe that those of us who voted for Donald Trump are a bunch of irredeemable, racist deplorables.