Dist. 139 board bars parent from grounds over fight at game
A Chester parent has been banned from District 139 property for a year after school officials claim he had two students fight to settle their differences at the Aug. 24 Chester High School football game.
The Chester School District 139 school board voted Monday to bar Jason Parrish from school property and extracurricular events for one year, Sept. 10, 2018 to Sept. 10, 2019.
Parrish, who was at the meeting, denied he instructed the two students to fight each other, and denied using a racial slur to refer to one of the students.
Superintendent Brian Pasero read an incident report to the board, which said the two students started arguing in an area in the stadium away from the stands during the game. One student claimed the other was name-calling other kids, he said.
The Herald Tribune is not naming the two students because they are minors.
Pasero said student #1 then hit the other student, twice.
The student who was struck left and came back with Jason Parrish, Pasero said. Parrish instructed student #2 to fight the one who hit him, using a racial slur in the process, Pasero said.
The two students fought until Chester High School Principal Melissa Meyer intervened. Parrish told Meyer to let student #2 go, Pasero said. Meyer instructed student #2 he would have to immediately leave the school campus. Parrish asked for time to gather their personal items from inside the stadium and Meyer agreed, but they did not immediately leave as instructed, Pasero said.
Meyer located them and Parrish continued to argue with her over her dismissal of them, the report stated.
At the school board meeting, Parrish charged that the Chester school district does little to protect its students from bullies.
Parrish acknowledged that student #2 acted impulsively, but insisted that at no time did he tell him to do so.
He said he was asking student #1 for his name and if his parents were at the game.
The board did not take any action against the two students involved.