The Maine Principals’ Association has decided to prohibit the use of unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones, at all the high school athletic events it sponsors, mostly playoff and championship games.

The MPA policy, which will take effect at the start of the next school year, will not affect regular-season games, such as a varsity football game between Deering High School and South Portland High School.

Members approved the drone policy at their spring conference last month, hoping to stay ahead of an issue that is currently being considered by high schools in Maine and across the nation.

Thornton Academy in Saco is believed to have become the first high school in Maine to adopt a drone policy when it decided in April to prohibit all remote aircraft from being used on or flown over school property without written permission.

A national organization that has been monitoring drone use says that while drone technology can be used for good purposes, many school districts worry that a drone could crash into a crowd of spectators or be used by coaches to gain a competitive advantage.

“If a drone should crash, it could kill or injure people. Or even worse, it could be carrying a payload,” said Dr. Lou Marciani, director of the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. “People are concerned because safety should always come first.”

Marciani said the use of drones at high school athletic events has become one of the hottest issues facing schools across the nation. It was the subject of a panel discussion at the center’s safety and security summit April 13-15.

Marciani said more high schools are banning the use of drones at school athletic events. He said school boards and superintendents are struggling with enacting restrictions as drones become more commonly used.

“If I am a school superintendent, I’m nervous about this,” he said. “Because there is no way to detect them or to determine if they are dangerous.”

The MPA first became aware of the drone issue because of concerns they could be used as a scouting tool, giving schools that had them an unfair advantage.

“It was a football request, an (athletic director) had received word that one of the opponents had a drone,” said Mike Burnham, the MPA’s assistant executive director. However, the policy was put in place more as a proactive measure than as a response to an ongoing problem, he said.

Burnham said Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland and Ohio are among the states that have adopted policies forbidding drones at high school athletic events.

Jim Trask, Thornton Academy’s director of campus safety, believes the private school is the first high school in Maine to have adopted a policy regulating drone use.

In an email, Trask said that the school policy prohibits “any and all remote aircraft use on or over Thornton Academy property during and after school hours. This policy was written with the safety and security of our students, staff, visitors and campus in mind.”

“Our concern is for the privacy of our students, as well as concerns over injuries and damage that may occur with one of these devices,” said Trask, a former Maine State Trooper. “Since Thornton Academy is private property it makes it much easier to control this issue and refuse to allow these devices on campus.”

Gary Stevens is Thornton Academy’s athletic director. He also serves on the advisory board of the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security. Stevens attended the center’s April conference in Mississippi.

“Drones, I would say, are one of the top-three hot topics for the center,” Stevens said. “Thornton Academy recently developed our own policy. I had a drone appear on campus the last week of April. I saw the drone at the tennis court.”

“So now if you want to use a drone on our 88-acre property, you have to apply for permission from the director of security. That includes teachers using it for science,” Stevens said.

Stevens said the safety issue is a big concern with drones, as are the ethical questions surrounding the use of drones by school teams to videotape an opponent.

“I think for high school athletics in Maine, the drone will become the tool for athletic teams to use for practice. It could be used very effectively to teach kids. You could use videos from it. But you do have ethical questions and you want to make sure you are only videotaping your own practice and not getting into other schools’ air space,” Stevens said. “I hope it never gets to that point.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a set of rules for three categories of drones: public operations, civil operations and model aircraft. Civil operations, or commercial use, requires authorization from the FAA. The policy for model aircraft, or recreational use, strongly urges hobbyists to follow seven safety measures.

In addition, the U.S. Senate last month approved an FAA reauthorization bill that would require people who buy drones to take an online test of their knowledge of restrictions and proper handling of their aircraft, the Washington Post reported. The FAA already requires registration of drones. The bill awaits consideration in the House.

Spectators interviewed Monday at a baseball game and girls lacrosse match in Scarborough said drones are currently not a problem in Maine.

“I’ve never seen a drone over a playing field so it’s hard to believe it’s an issue,” said Stu Jacobs, whose son Alex Jacobs is a pitcher for Cheverus High School. “I could see if it was a football game and the stands were full, then it could be a hazard. But at this point, I think they are addressing a problem that doesn’t exist.”

George Koukos was watching his daughter Haley play for Scarborough’s junior varsity lacrosse team.

“I’ve never seen one so I don’t know how much of an issue it is. I think it would be an issue over airports. But a ball field?”

“If we’ve had drones I’ve never noticed them,” said Mike LeGage, Scarborough’s athletic director. “But I probably need to put something in our student handbook now.”

Staff Writer Mike Lowe contributed to this report.

 

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