Anthony Wayne Clarifies Football Games Are Neither Wineries Nor Free Childcare
Families in blue Anthony Wayne clothing gather outside a football stadium while children run through the crowd.
WHITEHOUSE, Ohio — Anthony Wayne Local Schools issued a reminder this week asking football spectators to supervise their children and refrain from consuming alcohol on school grounds, stunning parents who had come to view Friday-night games as a rare combination of tailgate party and complimentary childcare.
Parents interviewed along the Homecoming parade route Friday appeared to still be processing the news.
“This is bubly,” insisted Katelyn Wright, an AW mother, while clutching a 40-ounce Stanley cup and giggling uncontrollably. “Oh, no. It’s definitely not wine.”
She then took a long sip, adjusted her oversized Anthony Wayne sweatshirt and asked whether anyone had seen her husband since the parade started.
District officials said the letter followed complaints about unsupervised elementary students roaming the stadium while adults gathered elsewhere. The school now wants children in kindergarten through sixth grade to remain with a parent or supervising adult in the stands.
The announcement was especially difficult for local father Josh Niese, who watched the parade with his two school-aged children before preparing to drop them off at the stadium.
“I pay school taxes,” Niese said. “I just figured supervision carried over into Friday nights. Nobody told me the educational week ended at 3:30.”
Niese said the arrangement had allowed him and his wife to enjoy nearly three uninterrupted hours at Local Thyme before returning late in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve always monitored the score and time remaining on MaxPreps,” he said. “That allowed me to get back before the game was over. I thought that was responsible parenting.”
Niese noted that the stadium contains teachers, principals, police officers and hundreds of responsible adults, all gathered inside one fenced-in area.
“Frankly, it seemed safer than hiring a teenager,” he said.
School leaders also reminded families that alcohol is prohibited throughout the stadium and parking areas, including beverages poured into expensive insulated containers and described as “Mommy Juice.”
As the parade continued toward the high school, several parents were reportedly studying the district’s exact definition of “supervising adult,” while Miller questioned whether the stadium had enough seats now that parents were expected to attend.
Wright, with her Stanley, declined further comment, explaining that she needed a refill of her Tailgate Punch before kickoff.