Berkshire High Schools Release Statement on Fan Behavior at Athletic Events

04:00PM / Wednesday, December 04, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire County superintendents, principals, and athletic directors have released a statement addressing fan behavior and sportsmanship at high school athletic contests.

Ahead of the Winter Sports Season, all Berkshire County superintendents and principals met to discuss concerns regarding conduct at school sponsored athletic events. As a result of this meeting, a message was crafted as a reminder of the expectations for conduct at all sporting events.

According to the statement:

Berkshire County superintendents, principals, and athletic directors feel that there is a need to address fan behavior and sportsmanship at high school athletic contests that are not in keeping with our schools' core values and beliefs. We believe it is imperative that all participants and attendees experience a sense of belonging at these events. This means all student-athletes, coaches, and officials should be able to carry out their duties on the field of competition without fear of verbal or physical attacks. Behavior by students, coaches, fans, or other attendees that is unwelcoming or hostile will not be

tolerated. All of our schools strive to provide inclusive and family-friendly events. In an effort to maximize the value of educational athletics, we have agreed upon the following priorities as we head into the winter athletic season:

All superintendents have committed to providing comprehensive communication to community stakeholders to ensure consistency in messages regarding conduct at sporting events.
All superintendents have committed to providing appropriate staffing at each event to supervise and monitor participants and fans.
All coaches, student-athletes, and administrators will model the expectations for good sportsmanship at each event.
All schools have agreed upon a minimum 2-week suspension period for fans removed from an event.
All schools will continue to reinforce and model MIAA guidelines.
Finally, we appreciate our school communities for supporting our athletic programs. All fans should feel welcome in all venues. Sportsmanship is the expectation. Let the players play, let the coaches coach, and let the officials officiate.

Tags: Sports,

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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