KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police descended on a high school football game Friday night as fights forced officials to cancel the game.
Park Hill High School and their rival, Park Hill South High School, were in the fourth quarter of the game when things turned violent.
Fights broke out at the district stadium and Kansas City police officers were called to help stop the violence.
There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or how many people were arrested.
The game ended with Park Hill winning 42-0.
The district superintendent, Dr. Jeanette Cowherd, sent the following letter to parents a few days after the incident.
"Dear Park Hill Families,
After we called Friday’s football game to keep everyone safe, we sent out a fast communication. I would like to take a moment this afternoon to give you a little more information.
It is disappointing that the unacceptable actions of a few students tarnished our community’s experience at what should have been a positive event. The overwhelming majority of the students and parents at the Park Hill High School vs. Park Hill South High School game, including the players, handled themselves beautifully and we are very proud of their behavior.
Unfortunately, not everyone met our behavior expectations. I would like to be able to describe for you exactly what happened among the group of students who kept meeting to fight around our stadium, but the Family Educational Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) and the ongoing investigation prevent me from sharing that information.
I can tell you that the rumors of a weapon involved in the fight were not true. And I can tell you that we are working with local law enforcement to investigate this fight and determine next steps to ensure something like this does not happen again.
Keeping our schools and our school activities safe is the most important thing we do, because our students need a safe, caring environment.
You can help us with this work if you have seen any videos of Friday’s fight. Please send those videos to Dr. Josh Colvin, our director of student services, at colvinj@parkhill.k12.mo.us.
Thank you for your support of our students and our schools."
