LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — There are new security measures that you'll have to follow if you're attending a high school football game in Lexington tonight.
The Fayette County Chief of High Schools James McMillin tells LEX 18's Jacqueline Nie that the point of the new rules is so all fans coming to the events can feel safer.
A few weeks ago, during the fourth quarter of the football game between Frederick Douglass and Bryan Station, fans took cover when unaccompanied students shouted that someone had a gun, causing a frenzy at the game, and on social media. After an investigation, no threat was found. Fayette County High School principals decided to take action, so now, if you're headed to a city-to-city football game this weekend, there are new rules.
Rule 1: The games will now be at 6:30 pm instead of 7:30 pm.
Rule 2: Students cannot have backpacks but adults can.
Rule 3: Students in grades younger than high school will have to be with an adult.
Rule 4: No outside food or drinks.
"They're pretty simple changes that mainly impact our law enforcement, and our staff will have a big difference in kind of curbing the things that are going on and distract from why we have athletic events in the first place, which is to showcase our student athletes," said McMillin.
The school district said for now, the rules only apply to local football games and it is up to each individual school if they would like to implement the rules for other sporting events.
