Drunk Students at Football Game Leads to Increased Measures

The Bridgewater-Raritan school district is preparing to increase police presence at home football games after students were found to be heavily intoxicated at a recent game.

“At the last home football game, there was drinking,” Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder said at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting. “The police were called, and the parents were told to pick them up.”

But both the school administration and the Bridgewater Township Police Department have decided that this is not the way it can be handled in the future, Schilder said.

“The police have concluded that when a student is so intoxicated, the police have a legal obligation to take the person into custody, and bring him or her to the station,” he said. “The parents will be called and the student could be charged with disorderly conduct.”

“That’s exactly what’s going to happen at football games from now on,” he added.

According to New Jersey statute, any person of legal age who knowingly brings or possesses alcohol on property used for school purposes is guilty of a disorderly persons offense. And it is illegal for those under 21 to drink.

According to Schilder, the district normally hires five police officers to be at the stadium during home football games, with an extra officer added on the night of the game against Immaculata High School.

“We do that because of the number of people,” he said.

This season’s game against Immaculata will be played Oct. 6, the date of Bridgewater-Raritan's next home game.

But from now on, Schilder said, the district is asking for six police officers at all home games until further notice.

“One officer will be stationed in the parking lot and will come early at 5 p.m., because the cars start to assemble then,” he said. “The officers have agreed to do that, and I think it’s a great idea.”

Schilder said the most important thing to do now is to step up the vigilance in making sure that students are not intoxicated on school property. He said there will be an e-blast sent to all parents to inform them of the increased police presence at home games, and Bridgewater-Raritan High School Interim Principal Lew Ludwig will be contacting the administration at Immaculata High School about the increased number of officers.

“I don’t feel we can look the other way or say that this is something we are just going to pass off,” Schilder said. “We have to step up our vigilance in terms of discouraging this from happening.”