Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
Reporter
September 21, 2022
BOE approves new stadium
rules, all won’t apply to them
TfKLL/WIMTER. SALEi
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ITEMS MARKED "REDUCED"
ON SATURDAY, SEP. 24TH
CHILDREN & BABY
CONSIGNMENT
By Diane Glidewell
news'-mymcr.net
MP football fans will be
required to bring only clear
bags and will be barred from
leaving the stadium and
returning under new rules
adopted by the Monroe
County BOE for Dan Pitts
Stadium on Sept. 13. The
rules will be enforced begin
ning at this Fridays Home
coming game.
Board members debated
five of the nine proposed
rules before adopting the list
with some modifications.
When board member Eva
Bilderback raised concerns
that she may want to go
to her car to get a j acket
and couldn’t return, board
members Nolen Howard
and Priscilla Doster pointed
out that board members
have passes so the rule wont
apply to them. With that,
the vote was 6-1 for the new
rules, with only board mem
ber Greg Head opposed.
Head said sometimes safety
can go too far and he called
the rales “overbearing.”
With public comment
preceding the gameday
rales on the boards agenda,
Mark Dye got to express
his opinion before board
members did. Dye has been
a member of the first down
“chain crew” on Friday
nights for Mary Persons
football for many years. Dye
said he knows from that the
Mary Persons sidelines are a
nightmare because of all the
people. He supported limit
ing access to the sidelines.
He said that the equipment
bag he carries for die chain
crew wont meet the clear
bag pokey; so the “clear
plastic, vinyl, that does not
exceed 12” x 12” x 6”” needs
to be amended or clarified.
Dye said that he has never
seen the children on the
hill interfere with a game,
and he thinks requiring a
parent on the hik wik open a
Pandoras box, such as, how
close the parent has to be to
the child.
“It’s a tradition that’s not
harming anyone,” said Dye.
He then said the board
needs to look at upgrading
the athletic faeikties because
it has the money to fix them.
“We now have the worst in
the area,” he said.
Hickman said the purpose
of the Game Day Protocol is
to make the athletic venue
safer.
“We’ve seen things we can
make safer for kids, parents
and visitors,” he said.
Several other high schools
like Peach and Tift coun
ties have recently adopted
simkar guidelines and
Hickman was asked if the
rales were coming from the
Georgia School Board As
sociation. Hickman said no,
administrators were talking
about parking problems
at the footbak games and
he asked Monroe County
Schools athletic director
Robert Lindsey to contact
surrounding schools and
ask what new safety proto
col they had put in place.
He said he also considered
protocol being enacted at
other athletic venues, like
the Falcons and Braves’
venues. He said a lot of
safety guidelines have been
suggested since the school
shooting in Texas.
Board chair Dr. Priscika
Doster said the Georgia Na
tional Fair had announced a
clear bag pokey that day.
“Women need things in
their bags they don’t want to
put in clear bags,” said board
member Eva Bilderback.
“And I disagree with the
pokey for the bill.”
“Years ago there was a
pokey about kids being be
hind the concession stands,”
said board member Nolen
Howard. “I agree with Dye,
but I know someone could
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Fans will have to use clear bags and cannot leave and re
turn under new rules that will go into effect for this Friday s
Homecoming game at Dan Pitts Stadium.
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get hurt.”
Hickman answered that
children have gotten hurt
while rough housing on the
hik.
“I love them on the hik but
want to make sure everyone
is safe,” he said.
Discussion continued with
comments that children
throwing a footbak on the
hik could lead to accidents
and law enforcement of
ficers at the game should
be able to tell children
to sit down or leave the
hik. Bilderback said that
7-8-year-olds would not sit
if other children are playing,
and board member Stuart
Pippin said the result of
telling unaccompanied chil
dren to leave the hik would
be to move them from one
place to another, like to the
concession stands.
Board member Greg Head
said that one of the favorite
things for children to do on
the hik is to try to catch baks
kicked through the goal
posts for field goals and that
it wik be hard to tek children
to sit during a field goal.
“Based on ak this, I want
to take it off” said Hickman.
So the rule requiring
kids on the hill to be ac
companied by parents was
dropped.
Pippin initiated discus
sion of restricting sideline
access to coaches, players,
administration and cheer
leaders, asking if they were
going to tek WMAZ anchor
Frank Makoy that he was no
longer akowed on the Mary
Persons sideline. Hickman
said the sideline guideline
would be modified to
include media, statisticians
and school administrators
with passes but not in the
coach’s box.
“I don’t know if we can
control the visitors’ coaches,”
said Howard, who has been
Mary Persons’ statistician
for many years. “Ours is the
most crowed sideline, and
I’ve been to many;’
Hickman said he is trying
to make the sideline safer
and intended no negative
connotations toward anyone
on the sidelines.
Board member Sher-
rye Battle then brought
up discussion about the
guideline that tickets are
only available on the GoFan
app. She said there are a lot
of people who want to buy
tickets but don’t have access
to apps. Hickman said he
thinks paper tickets are for
sale at the local bank before
the game. He said Monroe
County Schools doesn’t
accept any cash at games for
safety reasons. He said the
large amount of cash needed
to make change and the
amount accumulated at the
game for deposits became a
safety issue.
“I understand safety, but a
lot of these are a hindrance
to citizens,” said Head.
Referring to the guide
line that patrons could not
leave an athletic event and
then return, Head gave the
example of temperatures
dropping and wanting to go
get his wife’s coat from the
car. Hickman said the fear
is that someone wik go out
and return with a weapon.
Doster said they may return
with alcohol.
Hickman noted that board
members have passes for
athletic events and can go
and come as much as they
wish. He said administra
tors would work with other
patrons if they have specific
needs to leave and return.
Pippin asked if the guide
lines are only for varsity
footbak games or if they also
apply to junior varsity games
and flag footbak.
“They should be for
everything,” said Hickman.
“Were not trying to reinvent
the wheel. Were doing what
others are doing.”
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