2 On Your Side is getting reaction from Buffalo Public Schools and the Ken-Ton School District after fights broke out at football games Friday and Saturday.
Friday night as McKinley and Bennett played at All-High Stadium, fans started fighting. The game was stopped for safety reasons and Buffalo Police made four arrests. On Monday, Buffalo Police told us they arrested Delshon Taylor, 46, of Kenmore, and charged him with obstruction of justice and multiple counts of disorderly conduct. And as we previously reported, police also arrested two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old after that fight on Friday.
Then Saturday afternoon at Crosby Field, school district employees and police responded to a fight at the Ken West-Lockport game. Everyone watching the game was asked to leave and it continued without fans in the stands.
Saturday, we talked with Buffalo's Assistant Superintendent of Athletics about what the district plans on doing moving forward.
"Implement some zero-tolerance policies so that all of our spectators know that we're not going to tolerate any unacceptable behavior," said Michael House, BPS Assistant Superintendent of Athletics.
Buffalo Public Schools did not have anyone who could speak with us on-camera on Monday, but sent out a statement from the Superintendent saying from now on, every player and cheerleader will be allowed to invite three student spectators to each home game so they have a record of who is there.
Additional rules include kids having to be accompanied by an adult, adults having to show their IDs and All-High Stadium and Riverside High School will have Evolv security systems installed, gates will close 30 minutes after the start of each game, and you can't loiter.
Saturday the district told us it was considering making some of these changes.
"One of the things that we may be looking to do is require all spectators to be accompanied by a parent. Anyone under the age of 18, you know, would have to have a parent with them," said Michael House.
A spokesperson for the Ken-Ton District said no one was available before our deadline for an interview on Monday, but sent us information about new security policies for anyone going to a game this year. They were announced last month and include everyone having to go through a weapon detector and middle school-aged kids and younger now have to be with an adult. The district says weapons and younger kids being there without adults were not factors in what happened Saturday.
Bennett is scheduled to play Orchard Park at All-High Stadium on Thursday night at 7.