NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — The Friday night football game between Fletcher High School and Sandalwood High School was cut short with less than five minutes remaining in the game, after what police called a "large fight" broke out at the front entrance to the stadium.
Neptune Beach police report there were no gunshots, while a Duval County Public Schools spokesperson adds that there were no weapons associated in the incident as well as, says one person was arrested for resisting an officer.
"I got the call that every mother doesn't want to get from my 9th grader who said, 'Mom, I think our game was shot up. We hopped the fence. We're running home,'" said Fletcher High School mom Katie Hathaway.
Within a few minutes, Hathaway's home near the school was full of two dozen students who left the football game in a panic.
"It breaks my heart that this is the reality for our kids," said Hathaway. "They are trying to have fun at a school game and they are running home traumatized."
That wasn't what Hathaway's 7th and 9th graders were thinking as they ran from the stadium.
"Just because there wasn't a gun involved, that doesn't mean it wasn't in the back of every person's mind in that stadium, and the trauma is real," said Hathaway.
The Fletcher-Sandalwood incident happened just over a month after an officer-involved shooting happened at a parking lot across the street from a First Coast High School-Ribault game.
Jacksonville City Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. called a meeting with DCPS Superintendent Dana Kriznar, a school board member and a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office zone chief.
Gaffney told First Coast News in a statement that officials are taking steps to increase high school football security and other tactics that can't be shared right now. In light of another incident since that meeting, Gaffney says he's confident in elected officials to investigate and enhance the measures they already have in place to identify room for improvement.
Hathaway says she won't keep her boys from the Fletcher vs. Parker game next week.
"I want my kids to continue to go to football games," said Hathaway. "I know some parents are going to be reevaluating that. I refuse to let that drive my decision making as a parent going forward."
The DCPS spokesperson says the vast majority of high school football games are played without problems, but even the occasional incidents like Friday night and earlier this season are unacceptable. He mentioned the leadership team is going to take some time to analyze and discuss.
Gaffney responded to three questions First Coast News asked after Friday's incident in the following below:
Q: Who'd you meet with after the First Coast High, Ribault football game and how'd the meeting go?
A: School Board [Member] Darryl Willie, Chief Ford (JSO) District 6, [Duval County] School Superintendent Dana Kriznar.
The meeting was successful. This was a meeting I requested after the First Coast High School incident.
JSO and DCPS shared the measures they have in place and are putting in place to continue keeping our students and families safe. We discussed what steps were taken before the game and how will we addressed this issue going forward.
Q: Are there any changes to high school football security being discussed right now?
A: As of right now, the additional steps taken are to increase high school football security and other tactics that can not be shared right now. I left the meeting assured that JSO and DCPS are exploring all options to make sure our high school football games are safe.
Q: What are your thoughts on another incident happening at the Fletcher, Sandalwood game Friday night?
A: Any time there's a crowd of people in a centralized area, the odds of incidents such as this rise. I am certain the superintendent and school staff did the right thing by ending the game before things got worse. I am confident the elected officials and the sheriff department are taking the necessary precautions to investigate and enhance the measures they already have in place in an effort to identify room for improvement.