Gwinnett Schools ramps up safety measures at high school football games

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – All students must now show their school ID to gain entrance at a high school football game at Archer High School.

If you’re not of high-school age, you must be escorted in and sit with a parent or guardian for the entirety of the game.

These new rule changes expand on existing safety measures, according to Bernard Watson, a district spokesperson.

“We’re very proud of the efforts we’re taking right now to make sure our students and staff remain safe,” said Watson.

These rule changes at Archer High School come less than a month after a 19-year-old gunman was arrested on campus after a mid-September football game.

According to jail records, 19-year-old Brian Garfield Fort remained in jail on Wednesday evening.

Fort faces charges of carrying a weapon in a school safety zone or school function as a non-licensed holder.

“Our school resource officers did their job and prevented anything from escalating and putting people in danger. That was a win in our view,” said Watson.

Watson said he didn’t know why Fort was armed on campus, but he stressed Fort was not a student at Archer High School.

“Hopefully it will be effective, the new policies they put into place,” said Britney Love-Lee, whose son plays on the Archer High School football team.

“I feel like they should have been put in place a long time ago. And I think the new policy that they have in place needs to be a lot stricter. The kids that are coming to these games are not here to watch the football game,” said Love-Lee.

Watson said each high school in the district will handle safety protocols differently.

Across town, parents at Brookwood High School received an email in late September highlighting similar safety protocol changes at football games.

“To promote a safe and positive game day environment at Brookwood High School football games, we will be enacting a few changes to how students will be admitted and supervised,” the email stated.

Parents from both Archer and Brookwood said the changes came after a rise in fights and drug use among students and non-student teens at the football games.

Love-Lee suggested a heightened police presence might be necessary moving forward.

“Maybe more security maybe to be put in place because it’s getting scary,” she said.

Gwinnett County Schools in on fall break this weekend, but the rule changes will go into effect at all future football games.

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