WATERBURY, Conn. — At the Sept. 27 high school football game between Derby and Wilby High School, police say six teenagers were arrested after a fight broke out.
The decision to move the Waterbury school district's football games to 3:30 p.m. was made because of the continuous fighting problem, but some parents feel the change may not make a difference.
"Honestly, if a fight is going to happen, it’s going to happen at 3:30 [or] it’s going to happen at 7:30. The kids need to control their behavior a little bit more for the athletes."
This Friday, on the field, it was Waterbury Career Academy vs. Holy Cross High School. It was also the last time a team affiliated with Waterbury Public Schools will play under the Friday night lights. All the games moving forward will shift to the afternoon.
Some parents say they don’t know if that is the answer, but it seems the be the only option explored right now.
Whether rooting for Holy Cross or Career, everyone seemed to agree that the players are the ones suffering after the change in start time.
"It’s unfair to the players; their whole scheduling is shifting," said LuzMaria Annette Rivera, a student at Waterbury Career Academy.
Rivera says players are getting pulled from classes in order to make the games.
"Part of the criteria to be on the team is to get good grades, and if they miss class, they lose out on class time, they lose out on knowledge; valuable knowledge that they need for their classes to get good grades."
Rivera says it is more devastating than just this quarter’s report cards.
"For a lot of this kids, it's not just the game. This is their future. A lot of them have to play well and do a good job to get to school and get scholarships if they don't have money to pay for it," Rivera said.
Rivera and the Holy Cross parents both say the fan sections will suffer.
"They have a great student section, and now, they can’t," said one parent. "A lot of the parents can't come because they work and they can't get to the 3:30 games."
FOX61 reached out to Waterbury officials for a statement and is waiting to hear back.
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Alexa Farrell is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at afarrell@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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