Clear bags, metal detectors now the norm at metro-east high school football games

With high school football season in full swing across the metro-east, school districts are stepping up security to ensure student and spectator safety.

Area schools now enforce a range of policies — student ID requirements, bag restrictions, metal detectors and more — to reduce risks at athletic events.

“Nobody is naive enough to think that we can stop everything,” Granite City High School Athletic Director John Moad said. “The idea is to put as many deterrents in place as possible.”

Moad said Granite City was “ahead of the curve” when it came to safety measures in Southwestern Conference history. District 9 administration’s desire for security — including the use of metal detectors, which Granite was already employing — factored into the school’s 2017 departure from the conference, according to previous BND reporting.

Granite, which recently re-joined the Southwestern Conference, continues to require metal detectors, clear bags and student IDs at football games. Moad said nearly all of Granite City’s competitors have adopted similar protocols.

“We realize that some people may find it as a hinderance, but we believe that taking the appropriate measures just provides a safe playing experience for our student athletes and a comfortable, safe atmosphere for our spectators,” Collinsville High School Athletic Director Clay Smith said.

These are a few common safety policies being employed:

Student attendance rules

Most high schools — including Belleville West, Belleville East, O’Fallon, Granite City, East St. Louis, Collinsville and Edwardsville — require students who attend games without an adult to be from one of the participating schools and have a current student ID. Other high school students or individuals under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Some schools may also check middle school students for IDs.

At Cahokia High School, high school students from schools not participating in the game are not allowed in, even with an adult chaperone. Younger children must be accompanied by an adult. Cahokia Superintendent Curtis McCall Jr. said this policy helps cut down on “unruly acts of possible violence” by making it easier to monitor students and identify which schools they attend.

“Unfortunately, it’s the times that we’re living in — not everybody is coming to watch the game,” McCall said.

He added that some teens may use social media to organize disruptions in communities other than their own, with the thought that it could make it harder for authorities to hold them accountable. He pointed to a few recent examples.

McCall said a fight broke out at a Cahokia game a few years ago involving two students who were not from either team playing. He also cited recent incidents at this year’s O’Fallon City Fest involving disruptive teenagers; officials believed many of these teens were from out of town.

Metal detectors and bag restrictions

Granite City requires guests to pass through metal detectors. Cahokia uses search wands, and O’Fallon Township High School District 203 Superintendent Beth Shackelford said her district uses wands “as needed.”

East St. Louis, Collinsville and Edwardsville use OPENGATE Weapons Detection Systems — portable, free-standing security pillars — at football games. Edwardsville started using an OPENGATE System at football games this year, in addition to basketball games last season, according to Athletic Director Amy Boscolo.

Bag restrictions are also commonplace. Most area schools — Belleville East, Belleville West, East St. Louis, Cahokia and O’Fallon — do not allow bags at home games, except for diaper bags and medically necessary bags. At Edwardsville, only adults can bring bags to games, and all bags are subject to search.

Granite City and Collinsville only allow clear bags, with certain exceptions. At Granite City, non-clear bags are searched.

“We try to meet the needs of our spectators. A lot of them want to bring purses or bags, so we’re somewhat flexible,” Smith said.

Spectators at Granite City and Collinsville can walk through metal detectors or OPENGATE systems with their bags. At Granite City, if a detector sounds, security checks the individual’s clear bag. At Collinsville, if an OPENGATE system sounds, personnel use search wands and manually search bags, Smith said.

At East St. Louis games, the few bags that meet the exception to their no bag policy are searched separate from the OPENGATE system, district spokesperson Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said.

Police presence

Law enforcement officers and district security personnel are present at large sporting events, often joined by school administrators on duty.

Districts may also add more officers as they see fit, McCall said his team usually does this for games they expect will draw bigger crowds.

UPDATE 10/8/25, 12:35: This story was updated to clarify the type of security system installed at East St. Louis Senior High School

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.