On Tuesday, Aug 29, the MCSS school board changed the security policies for athletic events including all high school basketball games and football games.

These changes are a result of a disruption last Friday night at the Hazel Green vs Sparkman football game. The school board hopes to prevent future incidents by restricting the amount of people allowed in a game and using other tactics. 

“This is not what our Sparkman community stands for and this type of behavior by our student body and patrons of our athletic events will NOT be tolerated,” District 4 Board Member Heath Jones said in a statement on social media.

The school board restricted the number of ticket sales for specific sports. Football ticket sales will close at 80% of the location’s capacity and basketball sales will close at 90%. Large bags and backpacks will not be permitted on site unless there is a specific necessity. 

There will be certain rules concerning the supervision of students and young children. All elementary and middle school students will need to have an adult escort in order to enter and exit the premises and remain with the child for the duration of the game. Any student who fails to show their drivers license will not be allowed to enter the game. 

“The District will be reviewing our policies and refocus our efforts to ensure things like this are minimized, and students that create panic are disciplined to the fullest extent,” Board President Nathan Curry said.

Students have mixed feelings about these policy changes, but are grateful for the support from the school board regarding their health and safety. Those in charge support the new policies. 

“I believe it’s a step in the right direction,” SRO Deputy Travion Ragland said.