VPA ALLOWS WINOOSKI TO BAR MEDIA AND FANS FROM SEMIFINAL MATCHUP
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since this story was first published, the location and time of Tuesday’s game has been changed. The game is now set to be played at 3:30 pm, at Burlington High School’s Buck Hard Field.
By Gregory J. Lamoureux
County Courier
The Vermont Principals’ Association announced Monday morning in a statement that virtually all people who want to witness tomorrow’s D-III Semifinal Boys Soccer matchup between Winooski and Enosburg Falls High Schools will only be able to view it online.
The announcement is in response to allegations in September of racial slurs and overly physical play between the two teams during the regular season. Video captured by the County Courier at that game was the only non-biased account of the events at that game.
An investigation by Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union was conducted in regard to the allegations of racial abuse, though the result of that investigation did not reveal any evidence of those allegations- leading the superintendent to declare the investigation incomplete.
“Only team members, coaches, officials, and school administrators will be in attendance at the game,” the unsigned statement reads, “The decision has been made to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all student-athletes involved.”
The announcement, which was shared with the County Courier by a reader, was not sent to the County Courier by the VPA, and a posting was not readily evident on their website.
The VPA’s announcement said that Winooski would be tasked with streaming the match using Facebook live, so that “family, friends, and media… can observe the game in real time.”
Read the full announcement here.
According to the President of the Vermont Principals’ Association Executive Board, Beth O’Brien, the decision to bar virtually all witnesses to the event, including media, was made by leadership at the VPA and not the executive board.
“The executive board was informed,” O’Brien said, but clarified that barring the media, in particular, was never discussed at the executive board level.
In a follow-up email, O’Brien said the VPA was consulted on the issue, but the decision was ultimately made by administrators at the Winooski School District.
The County Courier reached out to Winooski Superintendent Sean McMannon to seek comment on the decision. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The implications of such a ruling go far beyond Tuesday’s semifinal matchup, but also set a precedent for barring fans and media from taxpayer funded school events.
Longtime members of the media in Vermont could not remember a time outside of COVID when media members were barred from attending athletic events and even then, those decisions were quickly reversed.
This is a developing story and may change as more information becomes available.
