Knott’s Berry Farm cracks down on unsupervised kids in park, expands chaperone rule
The California amusement park Knott’s Berry Farm extended its new weekend chaperone policy, saying that on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, visitors under the age of 18 must be supervised by an adult who’s at least 21 years old.
The policy was first unrolled after a July 16 incident in which teens were involved in fights in the Buena Park theme park, prompting staff to close early. Visitors at the park that day said they saw chaos erupt and feared the worst, McClatchy News reported.
“I saw a whole bunch of people running out and that’s what triggered me and I was like, ‘What’s happening?’” visitor Tina Rodriguez told KABC following the incident. “I asked more people and they were like, ‘Oh, there was a possible shooting.’ But I wonder how that could’ve happened with all the metal detectors.”
Two people were taken to a hospital after the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported. Buena Park police also said in a Facebook post that they investigated numerous 911 reports from the park that day but determined there was no shooting.
The park later said it closed three hours early “due to unruly behavior and altercations involving a number of teenagers.”
“This behavior did not align with our park’s values, and was not the experience we want any guest to have while visiting Knott’s Berry Farm,” the park said on Twitter.
The new chaperone policy, which went into effect days later, initially only applied on Fridays and Saturdays. The park recently decided to enforce it on Sundays as well, adding that it may also begin to enforce it on other days during the week.
Chaperones must be accompanying four guests under the age of 18 or less and must stay with the group and be reachable by phone all day, the policy says. Guests under 17 who are separated from their chaperones “will be subject to ejection,” the policy says.
In a July 26 tweet, the park said the policy has been “well-received.” But some attendees say the policy could be unfair to bigger families, who now need multiple adults in their party to enter the park, Spectrum News reported.
Christine Koehring, of Long Beach, told the outlet that the policy not only prohibited her from supervising her five children in the park by herself, but that it took away “two prime days people can go.”
“I understand the necessity of some kind of policy, but it’s unfair and unrealistic for single parents with more than three kids and people with large families to do this,” Koehring told the outlet. “There have to be some exceptions for families or understanding. We’re a family of seven people and spent a lot of money on our passes.”
The new policy is in effect “until further notice” and is subject to change, the park’s website says. Knott’s Berry Farm did not immediately respond to requests for comment from McClatchy News.
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