As far as I’m aware, the Covington students didn’t approach the Native American demonstration. Nathan Phillips has claimed that he saw the tense scene between the Covington boys and the Black Hebrew Israelites and went out of his way to intervene.

There were chaperones, but it certainly does seem like they could have used a few more. I don’t necessarily think there was anything wrong with the students responding to the Black Israelites’ taunts with a few school cheers, but ignoring them would probably have been the smarter play. And if they had done just that, I doubt it ever would’ve become a story. Though to be clear, I think it’s the BHIs who deserve the most blame for all of this. Had it not been for their bigoted heckling, none of this would have happened.