Madison County School System leaders will hold a special meeting Thursday after a football game between Sparkman and Hazel Green high schools was suspended at halftime due to what officials described as a “major disruption.”

In a Sunday night message, the Madison County School System described Friday night’s events as “extremely disappointing on many levels,” but said it was “disheartening to read people’s false comments on social media. Without knowing the facts of what happened, this is fear-mongering and has no place in a school or school district environment.

“We can share what we know as definites as we continue investigating this disruption with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County School Resource Officers, and school and district administrators. There were NO weapons used or shown during the incident. We can also share that there were NO physical altercations or injuries. We also want to share that the incident was caused by individuals who wanted to strike fear in the crowd,” the message said.

Rumors on social media were rampant after the game was stopped, with many blaming the incident on a supposed TikTok challenge after disruptions were reported at games across the country. Some parents also reported their children received minor injuries due to the crowd rushing to leave the game.

It was one of several incidents reported at high school games across Alabama this weekend. A teen with a gun delayed the Hueytown-Ramsay game and the Mattie T. Blount-Vigor game was paused after fights sent spectators running.

Meeting planned

Additional security measures will be added at athletic events and other gatherings, school officials said, and the board will hold a specially called meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the County Board of Education offices on Jordan Road.

“At this meeting, we will discuss the incident further, the actions leading up to Friday evening, and release how we will ensure the safety of those playing and in attendance moving forward.

“Again, we share your disappointment and frustrations. We look forward to putting this situation behind us and allowing our student-athletes and coaches to compete without worrying about what may happen off the field or court.”

Friday night’s season opener between the two schools was suspended after a large number of students in the open area of the south end of the football stadium at Sparkman High School began running. Madison County Sheriff’s Office later said the disruption consisted of students rushing the field, prompting at least 18 deputies to respond to the scene.

Sparkman was leading 31-0 when the game was suspended. AHSAA director of communication Ron Ingram told AL.com the game was declared over with the Senators winning.

Sparkman is scheduled to take on Huffman High School in Birmingham this Friday. Hazel Green will face Grissom High School in Huntsville.