Fights, accidents spurred Portland’s coverage limiting pupil attendance at video games

Portland faculty directors say fights that erupted after soccer video games and resulted in accidents to college students are the first cause the district just lately enacted a coverage that restricted college students to attending athletic contests solely at their highschool.

District officers spent greater than an hour Tuesday night explaining their choice to implement a brand new attendance coverage, which states that “Portland Excessive college students can solely attend Portland Excessive video games, and Deering Excessive college students can solely attend Deering Excessive video games.” Casco Bay Excessive college students could attend occasions at whichever faculty they compete for in athletics or at any recreation with a authorized guardian.

Solely two mother and father spoke at Tuesday’s College Board assembly, however each stated the brand new coverage was regarding to them. They stated the coverage solely additional divides the Deering and Portland faculty communities and does nothing to convey the varsity district collectively. They stated the coverage punishes your entire faculty neighborhood for the actions of some people.

Erin Chase stated the district may have completed higher by involving pupil leaders and fogeys within the choice to institute a “restrictive coverage that solely provides to the divide between the excessive colleges. I feel this choice is disappointing at finest and hypocritical at worst.”

Superintendent of Faculties Xavier Botana admitted that he may have completed a greater job of speaking the brand new coverage to the Portland faculty neighborhood. Late final month, Botana despatched a two-paragraph letter to folks and college students concerning the new spectator policy, which took impact Oct. 3. Within the letter, he stated the coverage got here within the wake of “a couple of incidents of verbal and bodily altercations at and after sporting occasions involving spectators.” The letter didn’t present any particulars.

“I take duty for the poor communication,” Botana advised the board, including that the coverage might need come throughout as being “abrupt” to these members of the varsity neighborhood, who weren’t conscious of the explanations behind it.

However at Tuesday’s board assembly, Assistant Superintendent Aaron Townsend stated the coverage was pushed by pupil fights that broke out after highschool soccer video games and resulted in a number of college students receiving medical care. He didn’t elaborate on the character of the accidents, the variety of college students who required medical consideration, or the explanations for the fights, however stated faculty directors agreed they wanted to give you a strategy to make everybody really feel protected at video games. A lot of the fights broke out behind the bleachers and in parking tons.

For the reason that incidents befell, Portland Excessive Athletic Director Lance Johnson stated he and two Portland cops routinely stroll via parking tons to make sure that everybody leaves a recreation safely and in as well timed a fashion as doable. Academics and faculty directors additionally stand by the doorway to highschool soccer video games to ensure that the scholars are following the brand new spectator attendance coverage, Johnson stated.

Botana stated the coverage is momentary and sure received’t be prolonged past the highschool soccer season and the playoffs. One of many options his workers is contemplating is shifting the Friday evening soccer video games to Friday or Saturday afternoon throughout daylight.

Whereas many of the fights have concerned Deering and Portland highschool college students, faculty officers stated a few of the incidents have concerned college students from exterior the Portland Public Faculties district.

The brand new spectator attendance coverage will probably be waived for the Deering and Portland highschool annual Thanksgiving Day soccer recreation at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Emily Figdor, faculty board chair, stated extra remark will probably be allowed on the spectator attendance situation through the public remark interval of the board’s subsequent assembly on Oct. 18.

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