Some schools in far western Kentucky are reinforcing their guidelines for attendance at athletic events following a shooting outside of a local high school football game last month.
Guidelines such as “no outside food or drinks” were already implemented at several schools. But now, a group of schools servicing Mayfield, Graves County, Paducah, and McCracken County are also requiring kindergarten through eighth grade students to be accompanied by an adult at all times during an event.
Graves County High School Principal Janet Throgmorton said the new policy regarding K-8 supervision is meant to hold parents to the same standards they’d be expected to follow at similar locations.
“If you took your 10-year-old and dropped them off at Chuck E. Cheese for three hours, somebody's going to call the police or at least social services b. Because, you left your 10-year-old unattended in a public place,” the Graves County principal said. “So, why is it okay to drop them off at a ball game for three, four hours unattended in a public place?”
Throgmorton said the new rules in her district – including the supervision policy and a ban on loitering – were to provide “peace of mind” after a shooting that took place in the parking lot outside of Mayfield’s War Memorial Stadium during a game between Mayfield High School and GCHS. She said the rules also try to address the root causes of the incident.
“The loitering under the bleachers and in those open areas, that [ban is] new,” Throgmorton said. “[The shooting] happened in an area where loitering was happening. Of which, thankfully, no one else was hurt, but it very much could have been because it was a highly populated area.”
Physical barriers and “No Loitering” signs will now be present at Graves County High School’s football field. School staff will also monitor areas under the bleachers and around the stadium.
Throgmorton said the new policies are part of a "collaborative" effort with Mayfield Independent Schools regarding event safety. In a written statement, Mayfield Superintendent Billy Edwards said his district has also implemented a K-8 supervision policy to protect minors during emergency events.
“Adult accompaniment at events helps ensure supervision and responsible decision-making at extracurricular events,” Edwards said. “Younger students are less capable of protecting themselves or making decisions in the event of an emergency. Thus, the need to have an adult. This is a reminder and good practice."
Some education professionals warn though that increasing security measures – such as the addition of metal detectors or armed security guards or police officers – can have a negative effect on a school’s climate and culture. Research from the National Association of School Psychologists suggests that “rare, but highly visible” shootings can depict schools as less safe than they are.
Ohio Valley Education Cooperative crisis consultant Bethanie Opell said heightened security after an incident is common and generally a good thing, but she warns that heavy security shouldn’t become the long-term norm.
“We don't want the sense of insecurity to go out to the public to where they stop enjoying these events, because [shootings at schools are] still pretty rare. Heightened security is definitely going to make us feel a little bit better,” she said. “I think it needs to draw back after that because… if we continue to need security everywhere we go, that's gonna just give the presence that it's not a safe place to be.”
Opell argues that the best way to prevent incidents like what happened at Mayfield is to create relationships between students and trusted adults.
“When I'm talking about connections, I'm not just talking about teachers making connections with kids. I'm talking about bus drivers, cafeteria staff, plant operators, custodians,” Opell said.
The Kentucky school psychologist said the goal is to find a balance between protecting the physical needs and the psychological needs of students, staff, and community members.
