HICKORY, N.C. — Hickory High School football fans can expect some increased safety protocols on Friday nights.
Dr. Bryan Taylor, superintendent of Hickory Public Schools, issued a letter on Monday, Oct. 4, alerting the community about enhanced safety precautions at HHS home varsity football games.
According to the letter, the move is because of multiple school shootings happening over the past six weeks. The letter cites two shootings in North Carolina, one in Virginia and one in Tennessee. HPS also mentioned "multiple reports of guns being found on school campuses" in the letter.
Effective Friday, Oct. 8, the district is putting in the following safety procedures:
- Limit fan access to certain areas of the stadium and campus
- Students in grades K-8 can't attend a HHS home football game without being accompanied by a parent or adult (18 years old or older)
- All fans attending will enter through walk-through metal detectors and be subject to additional wand searches if necessary.
To prepare for the new procedures, two admission gates will be operated and will open at 5 p.m.
The enhanced safety precautions will be in effect for Hickory High's homecoming game, which was postponed until Monday, Oct. 11 due to inclement weather.
People are asked to arrive early to get through the screening process.
"We apologize in advance for any inconvenience these new safety procedures may cause," Taylor said in the letter.
The school system is also reminding people that knowingly possessing or carrying any firearm, openly or concealed, on any kind of educational property or extracurricular activity sponsored by a school is a Class I felony under North Carolina law.
You can read the full letter issued by the school district below.
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