What’s triggering fights at NC high school football games? And what can stop them?

On a late September night, Monroe High School’s football stadium was the epicenter of what could only be described as rolling chaos.

During the third quarter of the Sept. 29 game against Forest Hills High, a series of fights broke out in the stands. A video posted to social media captured a portion of the large-scale brawl.

Pockets of violence moved from the bleachers to near the field. The activity was so uncontrolled that a man hastily grabbed a small child out of a stroller to shield the youth from the danger around them.

“Obviously, every once in a while, there is going to be an incident, but nothing to this scale in recent times,” Monroe spokesman Pete Hovanec told The Charlotte Observer. He declined to say what sparked the violence.

The incident in Monroe was one of a series of fights at area high school sporting events in recent weeks, including at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools games. The outbreak of fights immediately prompted CMS, Union County and other school districts to tighten up safety policies.

When the disturbance was over in Monroe, the football game was stopped. At least 25 people — students and adults connected to Monroe High, Forest Hills High, Anson County Schools, and non-students — were charged by the Monroe Police Department, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Union County Public Schools later announced those involved would be banned from district events.

Fighting at CMS football games

While the brawl at Monroe was high-profile because of its size, the incident was by no means the only one in the region this year.

A fight broke out on Sept. 23 in the stands during a game between North Mecklenburg and Harding high schools, as well as one between West Charlotte and West Mecklenburg last Friday. Those incidents prompted CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill to write an op-ed in the Observer to appeal to the community for calm.

School officials contacted by the Observer could not pinpoint a cause for the brawls. CMS spokeswoman Susan Vernon-Devlin suggested that the violence could be attributed to petty disagreements or that “people are on edge with things going on in their lives.

“Fighting among spectators at sporting events, whether they be on the high school level, college level or professional sports, is quite common,” Vernon-Devlin said. “We cannot address why people express their passion for the game in an aggressive manner.”

How school districts are responding to fighting

In response to incidents at CMS events, the district announced in a social media post that students who misbehave at any event “may face disciplinary action as defined by the Code of Student Conduct.”

Adults and non-students who participate in fights or exhibit threatening behavior could be subject to arrest by on-site law enforcement or security, according to the district.

Ahead of its game this Friday night versus Chambers High, North Mecklenburg announced attendance guidelines that mandate anyone under 21 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

Additionally, all fans must remain seated in the stands, no loitering is allowed and “spectators may purchase concessions, but are not permitted to remain in the concession areas during the game,” the guidelines stated. The school also outlined that North Mecklenburg fans must enter through the home team gate, and Chambers fans must enter through the gate marked for visitors.

At Union County Public Schools, the district introduced new safety protocols that stated fans could only bring clear bags no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” to games and other events. Medical and baby bags would be subject to search.

Union County also mandated that an adult accompany middle and elementary school students to enter an event. All ticket sales will end at the beginning of halftime or midway through an event.

“This response is not a response just from the Monroe football game,” Union County Schools Superintendent Andrew Houlihan said during a school board meeting this month. “We’ve had too many issues throughout the fall as to why we are creating this change.”

Iredell-Statesville Schools announced Thursday that all games played within the district will have adjusted start times. Junior varsity games will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursdays, while varsity contests will start at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays.

“These changes are being made, not due to the conduct of our students, but after seeing the dynamics that are surrounding athletics throughout our state,” Iredell-Statesville Schools said in a news release. “Putting these measures in place are additional ways to increase the safety of our students, staff and community.”

The changes come nearly a week after an undisclosed number of guns were found in a parking lot and a threat of mass violence was made during a Statesville High School football game last Friday.

National concerns about violence at school games

The pivot to beef up security for sporting events at some Charlotte area high schools comes amid a period where violence has seemingly become all too familiar at football games nationally.

This school year alone, there already have been more than a dozen shootings nationwide at school athletic games, resulting in two deaths and 13 people wounded, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database, which has been tracking school gun-related incident data since 2018.

The worst of the shootings happened in August when a 16-year-old was fatally shot, and three others were wounded at a high school football game in Oklahoma.

Worst-case scenarios like that — in addition to the incidents closer to home — would keep fans on edge at sporting events, Monroe’s Hovanec said.

He went on to say that fans who witnessed violence at football games might now be on guard.

“You will always have your guard up a little more,” said Hovanec. “It is a microcosm of society.”