Woodland Hills changes protocol for home athletic events following shooting near football stadium

TURTLE CREEK, Pa. — The Woodland Hills School District is changing its safety protocols for home athletic events after a shooting near its football stadium while a game was underway on Friday.

Police say shots were fired in Turtle Creek near Wolvarena on Friday evening, while Woodland Hills and Penn Hills were playing. A man leaving Wolvarena was struck in the leg and returned to the stadium to seek help, leading to the suspension of the football game and evacuation of the stadium.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> Man shot in Turtle Creek near Woodland Hills stadium during high school football game, police say

In a letter to community members, Woodland Hills School District Superintendent Dr. Daniel Castagna said while the incident didn’t happen on school grounds or involve any students, administrative staff felt like it was a good time to revisit safety procedures. On Monday, Castanga says the district’s administrative team and multiple community stakeholders met to discuss game safety and security moving forward, deciding to implement the following protocols for ticket events:

• Student tickets will only be sold in school
• Middle school and High School students will only be allowed entry with a student ticket and a student ID
• Students from outside districts who will not be playing that evening will not be allowed entry into the stadium
• A reminder that football games begin promptly at 7 p.m. There will be no entry allowed after the first quarter – strictly enforced
• a new clear bag or no bag procedure (mirroring the NFL’s practice) will be instituted for all athletic events
• All spectators must be seated or moving towards seating areas at all times. Persons congregating in open areas will be asked to move

Under the new bag policy, spectators can use bags that are plastic, vinyl or PVC, including clear backpacks, fanny packs and cinch bags. One-gallon freezer bags are also allowed. The bags cannot be concealed by buckles, hardware or other decor.

Penn Hills School District officials also chose to increase security at its next football game in response to this incident, instituting rules like a student ticket pre-sale and K-8 students needing to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

RELATED COVERAGE>>> Penn Hills increasing security at football games following shots fired incident near Wolvarena

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