AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: The above video is related to an incident in Jacksonville, Florida, where a sheriff's office sergeant was accused of attacking a referee.
The Texas House is set to vote Thursday on a bill that would ban spectators from University Interscholastic League (UIL) events if they attack a referee.
House Bill 2484 would prohibit a spectator of a UIL competition from attending any future extracurricular activities sponsored by the UIL or the school district if the spectator "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly" causes bodily harm to a referee, judge or other official of an extracurricular activity in retaliation for or as a result of that official performing their duties.
The bill would also require a school district or charter school that holds an extracurricular activity or UIL competition on district or school property to provide a peace officer, school resource officer, administrator or security personnel to ensure the safety of an official until they leave the property if someone "engages in, attempts to engage in, or threatens violent conduct" against the official or otherwise disrupts their duties or "free movement," or if the district or school "reasonably suspects" that such an incident could occur at the event.
Public comment on HB 2484 was collected in March and submitted to the Committee on Public Education. One individual – Danelle Schwertner, a school board member for Miles ISD – proclaimed their support for the bill.
"Spectators at youth sporting events have gotten increasingly out of hand. It is affecting the ability of schools to find quality referees/umpires, and it is frankly an embarrassment to any school when adults behave poorly towards officials<" Schwertner said. "We as adults expect children to behave appropriately and yet we allow other adults to behave very badly towards the officials at sporting events. Please make it punishable by law when an adult physically assaults a game official."
Meanwhile, Amy Anderson of Round Rock expressed dissent over the bill.
"What about the safety of teachers when they have 35+ students per class per teacher because of the teacher shortage? Is this really more important than securing teachers for next year?" Anderson said.
According to the bill analysis, supporters believe it would help protect officials and address a loophole in a current law that "prevents non-student spectators who behaved violently at one event from being barred from attending future events."
Supporters also say that the bill would help keep sports officials secure and willing to work amid an existing shortage and that it would not "unfairly punish a spectator with a sports event ban unless the spectator’s conscious actions resulted in the bodily harm of an official."
Critics, meanwhile, say the bill could punish some spectators "unduly" for "normal sports fan activities." They also say the bill is too broad and could lead to "verbal conduct that otherwise would not have been classified as violent" resulting in a ban.
If the bill passes overall, it would likely take effect on Sept. 1, and begin applying with the 2023-24 school year.