New Fan Rule For High Sporting Events Massachusetts Residents Should Know

It's been nearly nine months after an incident involving an Old Rochester High School basketball player who spit on Pittsfield High player during the state Division III semifinals. A night that should have been a friendly competition for Pittsfield, but instead turned into racial epithets from fans of Old Rochester.

That being said, Berkshire County high schools are now implementing a new policy involving fans that attend any sporting events. According to The Berkshire Eagle, any spectator that has to be removed from a game for whatever the reason will now face a suspension of at least two weeks.

Hoosac Valley Regional School District Superintendent and president of the Berkshire County roundtable of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Aaron Dean mentioned that the recent spitting incident, which was contributed by fan conduct, was part of the reasoning for this new policy, but not the only reason.

“We’ve seen an uptick in the past year of things that shouldn’t happen at school sporting events, whether it be people yelling targeted things at students, altercations or lack of sportsmanship. We felt it was time to put this message out there and let folks know that is not acceptable, we’re not going to tolerate it." - Dean

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The Old Rochester player that was responsible for spitting was quickly kicked off the team after a school investigation concluded which resulted in Old Rochester Regional School District apologizing for the player's conduct.

All Berkshire County schools have agreed on this new rule and will continue to follow MIAA guidelines. It wouldn't be surprising if all schools across Massachusetts will start implementing this rule in the near future.