To members of the King Philip Regional School Community,
The beginning of the school year also brings with it the return of Fall athletics and the tremendous turnout of fans who attend our games to cheer on our student-athletes. Each year, we are pleased to see all of the spectators who attend our games and we want to ensure that these games continue to be enjoyable for all.
In recent years, we’ve seen a drastic increase in attendance at our football games as they are exciting high school events that our high school-aged students and greater community members look forward to. With the increased attendance, we would like to reiterate that these games are for all to enjoy and that all spectators are expected to be respectful and behave while in attendance.
Last year, we implemented a policy that required any child who is not in high school to be accompanied by a parent. This year, we are once again asking for parents to accompany their own children to the game and sit with their children throughout the entirety of the game. We politely ask that parents refrain from bringing in groups of children who aren’t theirs to ensure everyone’s safety. Children without their parents will not be permitted entrance into the games.
Beginning this year, we will also be requiring all attendees to purchase a ticket for admission to our football games. In years past we had the tradition of permitting free admittance to anyone with a pop warner jersey, however, starting this year we will no longer be doing so. All those wishing to attend a game will be required to purchase a ticket at the entrance near the student parking lot. Attendees should note that this will be the only entrance and exit from the stadium as all other gates will be locked.
We would also like to remind attendees that they should remain seated in the stands unless they are visiting the snack bar or restrooms to avoid large crowds on walkways. We ask that parents watch their children and don’t allow their elementary or middle school-aged children to congregate and cause disruptions. Children should not be running around the stands, misbehaving, acting unruly or using inappropriate language while unsupervised.
We have numerous faculty and staff in attendance at each game and have cameras monitoring the field to ensure that there are no large crowds causing disruption to our games, but ultimately the responsibility to monitor children is on their parents. It is not the school faculty or the police department’s responsibility to watch children. We politely ask that parents keep this in mind when bringing their children to our high school games and be mindful that any instance of inappropriate behavior by elementary or middle school-aged children will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action.
It’s our goal that all those who attend our football games, or any other sporting event of ours, have the opportunity to fully enjoy the game without disruption. With everyone’s help, we can make certain that this happens. Again, we thank you all for your support of our athletes and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Paul Zinni