In a letter sent to staff and students, Holyoke High School Executive Principal Stephen Mahoney addressed action the school will take following an on-court fight during a junior varsity basketball game last week.
The fight involved players and spectators during a game between Holyoke High School and Springfield Central on Jan. 23.
In a letter sent to families and staff the following day, Mahoney wrote that the incident ended with โno serious injury,โ but that the behavior of the student-athletes, fans and families who were involved in the incident was โincredibly discouraging for both schools and both communities.โ
The school will take the following steps:
รขยย Event management and logistics will be reviewed and revised, especially fan seating.
รขยย Those individuals identified in the video as participating in the incident will lose the privilege of attending future HHS events, be they current students, recent graduates, or family members.
รขยย HHS students identified as violating school rules regarding fighting and/or disruptive behavior will face consequences per the student handbook.
In an email to the Gazette, spokeswoman Judy Taylor said that the school is โreviewing security upon entry, seating and its proximity to the court, restricting game access to individuals who do not uphold our standards for game audience, additional security, and the time of day when games are played.โ
The altercation took place toward the end of the third quarter, according to witnesses.
Following the incident, the remainder of the junior varsity game was canceled. The varsity game that was scheduled to take place following the completion of the JV game was postponed and held over the weekend.