MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Friday night’s football game between Craigmont High and Bolton High is being rescheduled due to safety concerns, Shelby County Schools confirmed.
The game will be played Tuesday, Oct. 22, at Bolton High School. SCS said parents already had been informed.
“Safety is always our top priority, and this decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of our students, families and fans,” SCS said in a statement.
SCS did not specify what the safety concerns were, but said it was related to “a recent event in the community.”
Last September, a game between the two high schools was closed to the public and moved to a neutral site after rumors spread that there could be violence at the game.
“We know how it relates to football or any type of sport, parents want to come and cheer their students on,” SCS School Board member Stephanie Love said. “They want to come and root for their team, and when they’ve planned an event, and things like this are cancelled, it’s frustrating.”
Love said she can’t speak to why this game was rescheduled but told WREG she knows of another recent game at Raleigh-Egypt postponed for similar reasons.
Students we talked to, who were aren’t identifying, called the whole ordeal sad.
“Because it’s stopping the players from being able to do what they love,” one student said.
Love said the biggest issue is safety and believes the school board and district need to have a talk to see what can be done to perhaps prevent rescheduling in the future.
“I think what we need to do is have a deeper conversation with the police department and with our resource officers to ensure that if we decide to let an event take place, even if something has happened in the community, how do we ensure our students and community members when you come to this school you’re going to be safe,” Love said.
