Parents Advised To Supervise Middle-Schoolers At Football Games

CONCORD, NH — Concord School District officials are requesting increased supervision at Concord High School sporting events, specifically football games at Memorial Field, after a recent strong-armed robbery and other issues at home games in the city. Paulette Fitzgerald, the principal at Rundlett Middle School, also told parents in an email Thursday that unsupervised middle-school students attending recent games was creating a bit of chaos at the games.

"We realize that many RMS students enjoy attending the Concord High School football games," she wrote. "We love the pride in our community around athletic events (but) we also wanted to share some concerns that have been brought to our attention by the Concord Police Department."

At previous games, she said, there were a number of unsupervised middle school-aged students and last month, some students went beyond the football field and into the cornfield.

"There, the scene became chaotic," she said. "There were reports that one student had money stolen and one student was knocked down."

Tonight at 7 p.m., Concord High plays Manchester Central High School, and in order to keep everyone safe, both SAU 8 and police are asking Rundlett parents to attend the games with their children, to discuss "safe areas and about remaining in the fan section of the field, rather than going off into the cornfield or other dark areas," and to encourage children to report any unusual or suspicious behavior.

The school district is paying for additional police to be at the games, too, she added.

"By working together, we can strive to provide a safe and enjoyable experience at all athletic events," Fitzgerald said.

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