NORFOLK, Va. — A day after Norfolk Public Schools (NPS) ordered that all middle and high school students must be accompanied by a parent if they want to go to basketball games, the division is changing its mind.
An e-mail from an NPS spokesperson on Wednesday said the administration "upon further review" will not implement any changes to its procedures for attending basketball games.
The prior rule, posted Tuesday on Norfolk Public Schools Athletics' official website, said all middle and high school students must be accompanied by a parent if they want to go to the game with a maximum of two children per parent.
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This new statement from NPS steps back from the policy. It reads: "Upon further review, at this time the Norfolk Public Schools’ administration will not be implementing changes to existing protocols and procedures for attendance at basketball games."
The statement continues: "The safety and security of our students, staff, and families continue to be of utmost importance to us. For remaining basketball games, safety and security procedures will be enhanced as we work closely with our community partners, to include the Norfolk Police Department, to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for all who attend these athletic events."
The policy reversal comes after parents voiced concerns about the previous rule requiring parental supervision.
Leetreona Matthews has a daughter in middle school at Norfolk Public Schools.
“My hesitation is for those children whose parents work evenings and they’re unable to accompany them," Matthews said. "Or for parents who have multiple children. Whereas if I have a 15-year-old, I can drop him or her off at the game, take the 10-year-old to Girl Scouts, and then maybe circle back. With this new policy, that means my high schooler or middle schooler is going to miss out.”
She said she understands safety is important, but the policy could create a headache for some parents.
“Nothing’s going to be perfect for everyone," she said. "I understand how they came up with this. I think we’re going to have to tweak it some, get some type of exceptions in there... a neighbor can accompany them, something like that. It’s going to affect a lot of good children, negatively.”
Another Norfolk parent, Yolanda Muhammad, said she often watches her friends’ children at games so this new rule could be inconvenient.
“Especially with it being so immediate, it’s mandatory beginning right now, we don’t have time to prepare," Muhammad said. “It’s just unfortunate that the maybe not well-behaved children are making it bad for the well-behaved children... it’s almost like a bad apple makes it bad for the whole bunch."
Another rule over cash-only ticket sales is also changed.
On Tuesday, NPS said that all ticket purchases for basketball games must be done online. You cannot pay with cash at the gate. Now, NPS says high school students may purchase tickets during their lunch using cash.