‘It’s not fair’: Butler High parent angered after first game canceled

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Families are not happy after violence impacts the start of the school year, leaving innocent kids to pay the price.

It was announced on Thursday that the Butler vs. Cross Creek football game was canceled as other schools prepare to kick off on Friday night.

“The parents were not considered when they canceled the game even though they say it’s a safety precaution,” said Dianne Walker, whose son is a senior football player at Butler High School. “If it’s just a safety precaution for Richmond County, then no game should be played in Richmond County.”

Instead, her senior is watching others play from the sidelines.

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“If you’re going to allow Josey to play, then you should allow Butler to play because the football players were not involved in any of these fights, altercations, or shootings involved at school,” said Walker. “It was people at the school.”

All of the fights and altercations are keeping her from watching her son play.

“They could have put in other precautions to make sure that the kids were able to play because they work all summer long, they work after school, they work during school,” she said.

What upsets her the most is her son’s school is not the only one with fights and altercations.

“Richmond County and surrounding areas had behavior problems the first week of school, all the schools did,” said Walker. “Burke County, Columbia County, Aiken, all of them had it but Butler is being held to a higher standard and I don’t know why.”

She is still searching for an answer.

“I don’t want anybody’s children to get hurt, especially of course not mine or anybody else’s for that matter,” she said. “It’s not fair that the football players have to now take the heat of what’s going on at the entire school. There is more security at the football games than it is at actual schools.”

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