Lee County implements bag ban at Thursday night football game

The Dunbar High School football team will be playing at home tonight, just hours after a student was stabbed on campus during gym class.

The same night that Lee County’s large bag ban goes into effect for sporting events.

MORE: Stabbing reported at Dunbar High School Thursday morning

Lee County says right now this rule only applies to high school events, but the school district is working with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to decide if the rule should be extended to middle and elementary schools.

MORE: Rule to ban backpacks at Lee, Collier school sporting events causes stir

“I’m going to bring in my media identification and some cash — I don’t need a bag,” said Kim Cheney of Fort Myers.

Cheney has two sons in tonight’s Dunbar versus Lehigh game.

“I have two sons that play on varsity, it’s important from a parent perspective that they’re safe,” she says.”We’re just here for two to three hours at the most — it’s not that much to ask.”

New signs are now posted at the stadium and all over Lee County games to show what types of bags you can and can’t bring into school events.

No backpacks, large purses, cinch bags, coolers or camera bags are allowed at the games.

Lee County doesn’t specify actual dimensions for bag size, but issued the following statement:

Anyone who thinks they have a large bag shouldn’t bring it. District administrators are going to be at every game to observe how the policy is working, provide guidance and add a layer of security.

This change in policy comes after a deadly shooting at a Jacksonville school just last week.

Some parents question if the bag checks will keep everybody safe, while others say it’s a measure they are happy to see.

“When you look at it from a pull perspective — it’s for the safety of the plays and spectators — I’m okay with it,” Cheney said.