My take on this incident, for what it's worth: Covington, KY is a relatively sheltered, provincial minded, conservative place. Compare living and being raised in a small Kentucky city to being born and raised in ultra-liberal, moral cesspool that are the world class big cities of Washington D.C. and New York City. When the students encountered the Black Hebrew Israelites, a NY based cult of radical nutters, they had no idea of how to act or what to say or NOT do or say. It's likely the adults accompanying the youth were nearly equally as naive. When the "Israelites" saw fresh-faced Catholic youth in proximity to drum beating Native Americans, well, being professional provocateurs, they weren't going to pass up the opportunity.
I live in NYC, born and raised, and can assure readers that the MSM left out the catalyst in this incident. Really, it's irrelevant whether the bishop apologized. Under normal conditions, Catholic authorities would have issued one-way tickets back to NY to the "Israelites." On their home turf, most people consider them an annoyance and a laughing stock. They wear high priest costumes of the quality of a Jr. High school play, they yell and carry on, on street corners, mock Our Lord, mock Our Lady, and convey their hatred of everyone, until the NYPD sends them packing. They are the type of bullies to set up rival gangs and revel in watching them fight one another. But who from Covington knew this?
IMO, the adult chaperones should have come better prepared and rendered closer supervision to their charges. The well-meaning Catholics unfortunately fell right into a classic trap.