NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – At Friday night’s football game at Fletcher High School against Ed White High School, extra precautions were put in place to help keep fans safe.
The move comes after a game at the Neptune Beach school ended early two weeks ago after a fight broke out in the 4th quarter. Video from a viewer showed fans clearing out of the stadium that night. There were concerns of gunfire but Neptune Beach Police said no shots were ever fired, but two people were arrested in connection with the fight.
Grace Weaver, Varsity Head Cheer Coach for Fletcher High School, said the experience was something she never expected but she’s grateful for the response from the school.
“Nobody wants to be a part of it, you never really think it’s gonna happen to you until it does. So I think they have taken the right steps to ensure safety for the students and attendees of the game,” Weaver said.
When the fight broke out, Weaver said she told the cheer squad to run to safety. Now they have a game plan if something like that ever happens again.
“I think that also is another safety thing that makes them feel better about this episode. But yeah, it’s sad to say that we have to have those plans in place, but I know, we have to nowadays,” she said.
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Some of the procedures in place at Fletcher High on Friday included making sure fans were in the stands during the game. People weren’t to hang out in the common areas.
An email and a voice message from Fletcher High School Principal Dean Ledford went out to parents last week with a full list of game procedures.
“When you have something like that, it hurts you inside and you don’t want something like that for your school or community. We want them to come out here and have a good time. The biggest thing when you have something like that is we want to implement safety precautions to ensure everyone is safe,” Ledford said Friday night.
In addition to being seated in the stands during the game, they also asked that people don’t gather in the parking lot. People gathering in the parking lot were asked to either enter the stadium or leave.
Police planned to intervene if needed in both of those instances, school officials said.
Also, fans were asked to arrive prior to halftime and anyone who arrived after wasn’t allowed in.
Wand detectors will continue to be used to detect firearms and weapons and backpacks and outside food and drink were not allowed in the stadium.
Anyone dropping off a child for the game was also asked to get to the stadium by 8:30 p.m. to pick them up.
Several parents said they also appreciated the extra precautions, including Kisa Moore, a mother to one of the Fletcher High School football players.
“The added security, the not standing around, the double bag searches, make me feel more comfortable with the security measures,” Moore said.
There are a few more games left this season. The principal, along with the parents are hoping people will be encouraged to come out and support the team now that these extra safety measures are in place.