RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Following a “violent” social media threat, the first football game of the season for two Richmond high schools has now been canceled.
The school district had originally planned to make several changes to the game — such as preventing spectators from attending and stationing security with law enforcement — however, shortly before 4 p.m., a representative confirmed with 8News that the game had been canceled entirely.
“Our first priority is the safety and well-being of the RPS community,” A post on Huguenot High School’s Facebook page read on Thursday night. “RPS is aware of a recent social media post regarding tomorrow’s football game at Huguenot High School.”
The incident comes less than one week into the new Richmond school year. Just a few months previously, at the June 6 Huguenot High School graduation, a graduate and his step-father were shot and killed just after the ceremony outside of the Altria Theater.
“This violent threat against Huguenot is an ugly reminder of what happened on June 6 at graduation and if anyone needed another data point that coddling bad actors is a recipe for chaos then surely the inability to allow kids to even play a game should be it,” said Richmond School Board member Jonathan Young.
The Huguenot and Thomas Jefferson administration teams were in communication with the RPS Safety & Security team and the Richmond Police Department. Prior to the cancelation of the 7 p.m. game, the following changes were announced:
- No spectators would be allowed at the game
- Only players, coaches, cheerleaders, the band and staff sponsors would be allowed
- School administration, safety and security personnel and law enforcement would be present at all times
- The Huguenot High School campus and parking lots would be closed during the game and no visitors would be allowed on the school grounds
“We want to emphasize that the safety of our school communities has been the primary consideration behind this decision,” Thursday night’s Facebook post read. “We eagerly anticipate an exciting and secure game.”
Those who had previously bought tickets will be automatically refunded by the GoFan Finance team within 10 business days.
“It’s very very difficult, every time we have a threat or a concern, it’s retraumatizing to kids, to families, to staff,” said Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras at Huguenot High School Friday morning. “Unfortunately, this is the reality right now for a lot of kids and families growing up in Richmond.”
Students arriving at school Friday morning were greeted with large banners reading “#HuguenotStrong,” and signs of encouragement and positivity from staff, reading “We love that you’re here,” “You make Huguenot better,” and “We love you” in both Spanish and English.
This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.
