The Vigo County School Corp. is heightening security measures at basketball games, and those attending will be asked by security to open their purses, bags, backpacks and potentially bulky coats when entering.
The added security will take place at both middle and high school basketball games, said Ray Azar, VCSC director of student services. Schools are in the process of notifying patrons and implementing the added security. “Part of our standard protocol will be to ask everyone to open purses, bags or backpacks so that a visual inspection may take place,” he said Wednesday.
Those wearing bulky coats might be asked to open them “to show that nothing is being brought in that shouldn’t be there,” he said.
Those attending are asked not to bring backpacks to ball games, but if they do, those backpacks “would be subject to a visual search,” Azar said.
For now, just middle and high school basketball games are affected, but “it could be at any future event if we find it’s needed,” he said.
Security wands could be used if a security officer “feels there is a need to go further than a cursory or visual search ... but only if there is probable cause to do that,” Azar said. The goal is to have wands at each middle school and high school. The district doesn’t believe metal detectors are warranted at this time.
In addition, schools will take security officers to away games for both boys’ and girls’ high school basketball games, he said. “We want to keep our kids safe, whether at home or away events.”
The district hires off-duty police to provide security.
The heightened security is a response to recent violence associated with basketball games in Indianapolis, as well as overall safety concerns nationwide.
Among the incidents:
• A Lawrence North High School student has been charged in connection with a shooting that injured another teen outside a basketball game held at Lawrence Central High School last Friday night.
The 17-year-old is accused of shooting a 15-year-old boy outside the gymnasium at Lawrence Central during a basketball game. He was charged as an adult Monday with criminal recklessness, carrying a handgun without a license and dangerous possession of a firearm.
• An on-court brawl involving players broke out during a girls’ basketball game Jan. 16 between Pike and Ben Davis high schools in Indianapolis. The Indiana High School Athletic Association canceled the remainder of the season for both schools.
• Online threats forced Plainfield Schools to close a day early before winter break late last year. On Dec. 17, Plainfield school officials and police made the decision to close all schools after violent and graphic Facebook threats surfaced, tagging dozens of people, and claiming there would be a “massacre” at the high school. The threat affected Vigo County schools, which decided to postpone Terre Haute South’s Dec. 18 game against Plainfield.
According to Azar, the district is working with VCSC middle and high school principals to inform school communities and those who attend games. At some schools, parents/guardians have received phone announcements. Signs are being posted at entryways.
Schools are at different stages in rolling out the new procedures. Some have announced it, and some haven’t. “It will be done in a short period of time,” Azar said.
To handle the extra security measures, schools are being asked to employ additional security officers for the games, where needed, and there will be some additional costs involved, Azar said.
The new measures aren’t prompted by anything that’s happened locally, just overall concerns about the need to step up security, given events around the state and nation, he said. “It’s just a sign of the times. We need to be a little more observant of what we do to prevent acts of violence.”
The district decided last week to make the changes.
People will have to enter at designated entryways, and the number of entryways — likely one or two — would depend on the school and size of the crowd.
The school district already provides security at basketball games and other events, but now those security officers will have to do more in the way of visual searches. “Our goal is to check every patron that comes in,” Azar said.
Azar noted that when Plainfield Schools dealt with online threats in December, VCSC assisted by loaning a stationary metal detector as well as several wands.