Pascack Valley plans on continuing its new policy into the next school year in order to promote a controlled environment at sporting events. The procedure states that no bags, water bottles, and outside beverages or containers would be permitted at the athletic complex for both students and parents.

PV Vice Principal, Mr. John Puccio, said that parents had become included in this outline since “they need to be reminded that this is a high school athletic event and that alcohol consumption is not appropriate before or during the game.”

“It helps create a safer environment that we can enjoy the athletic event as opposed to being concerned about what is being brought into the stadium,” PV Athletic Director Shawn Buchanan said.

The procedure was implemented at the first home game against Ramapo High School on Oct. 19. In addition to the policy, the supervision in the stands were changed — there were two teachers situated around each side of the student section and two teachers towards the beginning of the bleachers.

“From our [the school’s] opinion, it was successful, since we didn’t have kids that we know of that were intoxicated,” Puccio said.

Originally, the policy detailed that students were not permitted to bring bags or backpacks to the football games. The regulation extended once students began sneaking alcoholic beverages into bottles, according to Puccio.

Buchanan said that more high schools throughout the area are implementing this policy for sporting events, such as River Dell High School and Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan. This, though, differs from Emerson Junior-Senior High School where only students are not allowed to bring backpacks and bags or water bottles and outside beverages to football games.

“Ironically, we were talking about putting this into play, and then we played River Dell, and they happened to have that procedure,” Puccio said. “The first game, we had no students having issues that came across to us.”