October 20, 2022

Dear Portland Public Schools Students and Families,

As you may know, in early October, we changed our high school athletic event attendance rules
to limit student attendance at Deering and Portland athletic events to students from the host
school, with some exceptions for Casco Bay students. We recognize this was a sudden change,
and we didn’t clearly explain the context for it. In an effort to provide the missing transparency,
I’m writing now to provide a more comprehensive explanation and to tell you about updates we
have made to the rules to better ensure everyone’s safety going forward and allow our whole
community to enjoy these events.

Background
We made the rule change in response to a second consecutive weekend in which large groups
of students (40+) were involved in a conflict following a PPS sporting event. Multiple students
had to receive medical treatment for issues such as a possible concussion or because they had
been sprayed with an eye irritant. Each of these incidents occurred with students who do not
attend the high school that was hosting the event. That is why we limited attendance to students
from the host school. We have found it to be difficult to manage students who are unknown to
the administration and staff managing the event. The decision limited attendance to students
who are in all likelihood known to school staff.

These incidents follow other safety incidents over the past few years that our administrators
have attempted to manage by increasing staffing and supervision at events, including paid City
events staff and Portland Police officers. Unfortunately, given the intensity of these last few
events, we felt it was necessary to have this significant intervention to interrupt what was
becoming an ongoing pattern and give us the opportunity to re-establish a safe environment for
students, spectators and staff. These recent rule changes have accomplished this goal, and we
have finished the fall season safely.

The decision to prevent students from attending school dances other than their own was
unrelated to the sports event attendance decision. Because we have not had dances for a
couple of years, many do not remember that we previously had rules in place limiting student
attendance from other schools. Because of the logistical complexity associated with collecting
permission forms including signatures from the home school principal and space limitations at
the venues, we could not make the dances open to students from other schools.

We recognize the frustration and disappointment of many students and families to miss events,
including homecoming games. Our athletes, families and athletic staff universally value the
unique opportunity we have in Portland to support multiple schools within one community. We
heard the community feedback and have had discussions with the student leaders from all three
high schools, the Deering PTO, and informally with other parents and community members to
determine our path forward to foster a community spirit for all Portland athletic events while
maintaining everyone’s safety.

353 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, ME 04101 207-874-8100

www.portlandschools.org
Going Forward
After engaging with students, families and staff over the past two weeks, and using their input to
inform next steps, we have updated our rules and expectations regarding high school students’
attendance at athletic events. These rules are effective for all fall playoff events and the
upcoming winter season. To support the implementation of these expectations moving forward,
they will be communicated to all students directly and reinforced over time. We also will
continue to work with student and community leaders to promote positive fan behavior, a key
element to making these updated rules work

We hope that these measures will allow us to share in these fun events as a community and
maintain a safe environment for all students, families, and staff. We thank you in advance for
your support and cooperation.

Respectfully,

Aaron Townsend
Assistant Superintendent of School Management

High School Athletic Event Attendance Rules and Expectations

● All Portland Public Schools (PPS) high school students may attend any PPS athletic
event.
● Admission continues to be free for PPS high school students and each student must
present their Infinite Campus summary for admission. MPA State Events do have
admission fees and community members, including PPS students, will be charged event
admission.
● PPS middle school students must continue to be accompanied by a supervising adult
and must remain with them for the duration of the event.
● Students are expected to follow all school rules and expectations when attending any
PPS event.
● All attendees are expected to be in the stands and to positively support all of the student
athletes.
● All attendees are expected to leave promptly following the end of the event and clear the
parking lots in a timely manner. Staff will sweep the venue and parking lots to ensure
everyone has left in a safe, timely manner.
● Maintaining a safe event environment is a collective responsibility. If you see something,
please help us to identify and deter those causing unsafe conditions.

These athletic events are school events, and any violation of school rules and the above
expectations may result in the appropriate disciplinary measures, including being prohibited
from attending any future PPS events. In order to maintain safety, administrative staff from all
three schools will be on hand at all events to ensure we can identify any PPS student in
attendance.
353 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, ME 04101 207-874-8100
www.portlandschools.org