Shenandoah Valley School District will screen every fan at the gate and ban most bags at Saturday’s football game against Williams Valley, following an alleged stabbing at its stadium earlier this month.
The new rules apply to this Saturday’s home game against Williams Valley.
Everyone attending will be screened before entering. Entry is one way, so anyone who leaves cannot get back in, and no one will be admitted after halftime.
Backpacks, bookbags, large bags, and other non-essential bags are banned. The only bag allowed is a small clutch or wristlet no larger than 6.5 inches by 4.5 inches.
Clothing, blankets, and cameras are permitted if carried loosely. Diaper bags, strollers, walkers, and other medically necessary items are allowed after a detailed search, the district says.
The measures come after a juvenile was stabbed during a fight near the concession stand at Veterans Memorial Stadium during Shenandoah Valley’s home game against Schuylkill Haven.
State Police charged Jose Nunez-Ovando, 42, of Frackville, and last week amended the charges to include attempted homicide. Police say Nunez-Ovando, the father of one of the kids involved in the fight, stabbed the victim in the abdomen and groin with a folding knife.
The victim suffered a punctured liver and a collapsed lung and was flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown, police say.
Nunez-Ovando told police he took the knife from someone who punched him during the fight and handed it over when a school resource officer asked who had a knife.
He also faces charges of aggravated assault, possessing a weapon on school property, simple assault, disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, and harassment. He was still being held without bail at Schuylkill County Prison when the charge was amended last week.
Helmet image: EasternPAfootball.com
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