The opening 2023 kickoff for two Richmond, Virginia high school teams will be without fans in the stands, a precautionary measure to what the district is calling a “violent” social media threat that was made.
Huguenot and Thomas Jefferson High Schools are scheduled to play the season opener on August 25 at the Falcons’ field, but the reported incident has forced the schools to take preventative actions to ensure public safety.
Huguenot High School’s Facebook page released the following statement on Thursday:
“Our first priority is the safety and well-being of the RPS community. RPS is aware of a recent social media post regarding tomorrow’s football game at Huguenot High School.”
Per WRIC-TV in Richmond, the following guidelines have been set:
- No spectators will be allowed at the game
- Only players, coaches, cheerleaders, the band, and staff sponsors will be allowed
- School administration, safety and security personnel, and law enforcement will be present at all times
- The Huguenot High School campus and parking lots will be closed during the game, and no visitors will be allowed on the school grounds
Heightened concerns over the threat have only added to an exasperated dark cloud that looms over the area, with the incident following the tragedy that occurred during Huguenot’s graduation ceremony in early June, where a graduate and his stepfather were shot and killed outside of the event.
While students and the community still work to recover from that harrowing act, the attention now turns to Friday night, shifting the focus away from the game to another senseless incident.
“This violent threat against Huguenot is an ugly reminder of what happened on June 6 at graduation,” explained Richmond School Board member Jonathan Young. “And if anyone needed another data point that coddling bad actors is a recipe for chaos then surely the inability to allow kids to even play a game should be it.”
No further updates have been provided at this time.
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