OCC might ban Newport-Mesa high schools from using its sports facilities after intoxication reports
Orange Coast College is still considering whether Newport-Mesa high schools can use its sports facilities following reports of student intoxication at the Battle of the Bay football game.
OCC spokesman Juan Gutierrez said Wednesday that the college is assessing Friday’s events at and outside LeBard Stadium and had not made a final decision.
The community college campus routinely hosts high school sporting events where rivals face off, sometimes with fan emotions running high.
But the extent of what occurred at Friday’s game between Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools was unusual, Gutierrez said.
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“We’re hoping it doesn’t come to that,” he said of the college enforcing an outright ban. “But we don’t want any incidents like that happening again.”
CdM Principal Kathy Scott said Monday that OCC would no longer allow the school to use its sports facilities because of the students’ “despicable and deplorable” behavior.
While it’s unclear how many students were under the influence from either school, district spokeswoman Annette Franco said, “It wasn’t just a handful.”
Scott canceled CdM’s homecoming dance and pep rally but not the Oct. 6 homecoming football game at Estancia High’s Jim Scott Stadium in Costa Mesa.
Newport Harbor Principal Sean Boulton said he doesn’t plan to call off Harbor’s homecoming events.
Boulton said he was informed of a few incidents involving his students, who are going through the district’s disciplinary process.
Newport-Mesa Unified has a zero-tolerance policy against attending any school event under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances.
A parent who attended Friday’s game said several students were sitting on the curb outside the stadium near police cars.
A 16-year-old Harbor student was taken into custody on suspicion of public intoxication and resisting a police officer, Newport police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said.
Scott’s decision to cancel the homecoming dance resulted in mixed reactions on social media.
While some parents agreed with Scott, saying she needed to hold students accountable, others called her decision an overreaction that punished all students for the actions of a few.
CdM Middle School parent Joe Taricani, who attended Friday’s game with his son, said he used the image of teens being stopped by police as a way to teach his 12-year-old seventh-grader about the dangers of underage drinking.
“I respect the heck out of it,” he said of Scott’s decision. “When you put it all in perspective, the only thing that was lost here was a dance. Thank goodness we have a principal who cares about the integrity of the school, the behavior of our children and creating an environment where kids can learn.”
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
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