Sandite Athletics Implementing Clear Bag Policy at Home Events

Sand Springs Public Schools has announced a clear bag policy as well as other enhanced safety measures for Sandite football and other home athletics events.

The announcements comes on the heels of three gun-related incidents at high school football games over the past week.

A stampede happened at a Friday night football game at Booker T. Washington high school in Tulsa after a juvenile reportedly brandished a firearm. No shots were fired and police recovered the weapon but were unable to apprehend the suspect.

A Pryor student reportedly brought a firearm to a football game at Locust Grove that same night, though the unloaded gun was retrieved by police on a tip, and the student was apprehended.

The most horrific game of the night was Del City at Choctaw, where several shots were fired and 16-year-old Cordae Carter was killed. A 42-year-old man was reportedly shot by a law enforcement officer on the scene and he remains in intensive care. A 15-year-old was arrested Tuesday night, though it’s unclear what their connection was to the incident. Three individuals were shot and two teen girls suffered broken bones during the ensuing panic.

Below is the full statement from the district.

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“At Sand Springs Public Schools, we are dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for all attendees at athletics events. In light of recent incidents at schools across Oklahoma, we are implementing new security procedures for football games and other athletics events hosted at Sand Springs.

Effective immediately, the following security procedures will be enforced at all home games:

Student ID Required: Students in grades 6-12 will be required to present their school ID upon entry, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. This applies to both Sand Springs students and visiting students.

Parent/Guardian Supervision: All students in grades PK-5 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Third-Party Students: If a student under 18 does not attend one of the two schools playing, that student must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If that student is 18 or over, they are allowed to attend unaccompanied, and they will have the same expectations as any adult.

Clear Bags Only: All attendees, including students, parents, staff, and visitors, can bring only clear bags to games. This policy will enable our security personnel to easily inspect the contents of bags and ensure that prohibited items are not brought onto the premises.

Cases containing medical equipment (insulin, EpiPens, etc.) will be permitted, but they will be subject to inspection.

Additional Staff: Games will have an increased presence of SSPS staff. The staff will wear highly visible uniforms so that they are easily identifiable in a crowd.

Gate Security: Security personnel will be stationed at each entrance at the event.

See Something, Say Something: Spectators are encouraged to speak out if they see or hear anything suspicious. Staff and security will be available nearby, and signs for the STOPIt Anonymous Reporting App will be placed throughout the stadium.

The procedures above are in addition to established rules, such as our dedicated middle school section, the prohibition of weapons and alcohol, etc.

Please know that these changes are not made lightly. The safety of our students, staff, and community remains our priority. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we work to make football games and athletics events as safe and secure as possible.”