By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Student groups do all kinds of activities to raise funds – sell candy bars, wash cars, sit in dunking booths.
But raffling off guns? Not in Bowling Green, says Superintendent Francis Scruci.
Scruci sent out an email to district parents late Wednesday afternoon explaining that a raffle was being promoted by the Bowling Green Wrestling Club. The prize was two firearms, with one being an assault rifle, he said.
As of Thursday afternoon, the raffle had been canceled.
The superintendent explained he did not sanction the raffle and was not aware it was being conducted. He had been alerted by a parent earlier Wednesday.
“The Bowling Green City Schools does not promote guns and is not affiliated with this type of raffle,” Scruci wrote in the email. “I can assure you that if the proper procedure had been followed the raffle would have been denied for distribution through the district.”
The email continued to say the Bowling Green Wrestling Club is an outside organization raising funds for wrestlers from youth to university age and exists outside of school parameters.
“It’s technically not affiliated with the school,” Scruci said when reached Wednesday evening.
No flyers were sent out with students, but the high school wrestling coach did send out an email about the raffle to school staff, the superintendent said.
“I knew nothing about it,” Scruci said. “They did not submit anything, nor did we distribute it.”
But the superintendent decided to be proactive and send out a mass email to parents.
“It has nothing to do with us, but I didn’t want parents to see it on Facebook” and think the school endorsed the raffle, he said. “It would have been rejected.”
The raffling of firearms, especially an assault rifle just doesn’t make sense, Scruci said.
“I and the Bowling Green City Schools are not promoting the raffle of guns as it directly opposes our zero tolerance policy for weapons,” he wrote to parents.
On Thursday afternoon, Scruci said he wrestling club intended no malice by sponsoring the raffle. “The wrestling club has done many positive things for the district over the years including helping raise the funds to build the wrestling facility with no district tax dollars,” he said.
Scruci also said the club and coaches had decided to cancel the raffle.
