Spectators Required To Show Identification At All Racine Unified Events

Administrators with the Racine Unified School District have tightened the district's event entrance policy.

Officials said they wanted to take a firm, proactive stance on maintaining order and create a constructive environment during athletic and entertainment events as well as activities. 

The new policy requires all spectators of high school age and older who attend events and activities throughout the district to present photo identification when they enter. The new policy also requires children in middle school and younger to be accompanied by an adult. 

"We are now going across the board," said Stacy Tapp, district spokesperson, who added that historically photo IDs were only required at football games.  

School officials said that the approach by the district is intended to address any issues that may arise at school events before they occur.  

"We are doing everything we can to avoid issues like what happened at the State Fair Park," said Tapp. 

The policy, which was enacted before the incident at State Fair, requires spectators to be subject to a visual search before entering an event. 

Jay Hammes, the head of athletics at William Horlick High School, said attending a high school sporting event is a privilege not a right.  

"It's a contemporary problem dealing with unsportsmanlike behavior. There’s a sense of entitlement and people not understanding that when they attend a high school game versus a college or pro, there is an … educational component," Hammes said. "We are going to play the game with or without them."  

Hammes has been involved in creating safer school events through Safe Sport Zone, an online ticketing service. He has written and spoken about this issue throughout the country and is considered an expert in the area. 

"You go from Boston to Seattle, if you go into almost all schools during the school day, you have to identify yourself," Hammes said. "After 3 o'clock, that is not happening. It doesn't make sense because we are having more problems after school than during the school day throughout the country and so we felt that we should be requiring a photo ID."

Hammes said the policy has been implemented at some football and basketball games and dances in the past. 

"We have not had a problem in Racine since we started doing that," he said. "The disruptive element is less likely to participate at your event if you requiring a photo ID because they have to disclose their identity."

It is also cost-effective because it reduces the number of police officers needed to patrol events, Hammes said. 

"We can't afford more police officers. Our budgets are getting whacked and we can't afford the labor to maintain the order at these games," he said.