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Restrictions on running on school parking lots?


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All three sons regularly participate in marathons. My husband and eldest son just came in saying they were questioned by the police and told they couldn't run in the high school parking lot any more!! They just ran 16 laps. The sidewalks are poor/missing and the lighting has been decimated in the nearby city park to no longer fill safe. Are people not allowed to run in school parking lots? I just sent an inquiry to the mayor--who else would I contact?

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The local media, newspaper, radio?

 

Sounds strange, here not only are people in the parking lot, but regularly use the track (some are even the rubber kind). We were at the middle school a night or so ago and had to insist that our kids go in the normal direction only because there were so many people using it.

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If it was during school hours it could be because they are trying to protect the students. It would be easy to "pretend" to be there to run when in reality your scoping out a childs schedual to run off with them, or giving things like drugs/small alchol bottles to kids, or really just any number of bad things.

 

I would have a sit down with the principal and request vistor passes. Each time they go to the school they would enter the building and get a pass from the front desk. That way the school is aware of their presence and knows what they are doing.

 

It's a pain in the butt. But if it keeps everyone happy. Wh00t. :)

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Occasionally our neighbor would even have one of the older boys run with her on their track because she knows they like to run and for the company. I don't even let them run on the track. I'm usually the one to run with them in the park but at night only every fourth light is lit. It is rare that my husband would run with the boys it's unfortunate this would happen--I think this is only the third time they have run together! I've sent an inquiry also to the local news--I definitely don't want to cause problems but the mayor's site was so vague and large that I'd doubt I'd get a response. My husband is a lawyer and the policeman gave him a warning to not run on the parking lot after school hours so he doesn't wants to push it but I can't imagine that we are not allowed to run laps around the perimeter of the parking lot--our driveway opens out to the lot.

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The school parking lot is private property, and so if you are there after hours, unauthorized, it can be considered trespassing. I'm guessing that's why your family was asked to leave. For example, the high school here has a fence around the land - it's fine to be on the sidewalk outside the fence, but if you go inside the fenced area it is school property. Your situation sounds really confusing, though, since (if I'm understanding you correctly) your driveway somehow connects to the parking lot!

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Schools are becoming more protective of their property due to all the violence we have seen in the last few years. So it could be that they don't want anyone not there for school business on their property. I can understand that. You can always say, "well, I was just jogging" as an excuse and prove you weren't. It might one of those rules that protects them from the minority but hinders the majority. I would just call the school and ask them. If they say it's not allowed, then you know.

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The school parking lot is private property, and so if you are there after hours, unauthorized, it can be considered trespassing. I'm guessing that's why your family was asked to leave. For example, the high school here has a fence around the land - it's fine to be on the sidewalk outside the fence, but if you go inside the fenced area it is school property. Your situation sounds really confusing, though, since (if I'm understanding you correctly) your driveway somehow connects to the parking lot!

 

Schools are becoming more protective of their property due to all the violence we have seen in the last few years. So it could be that they don't want anyone not there for school business on their property. I can understand that. You can always say, "well, I was just jogging" as an excuse and prove you weren't. It might one of those rules that protects them from the minority but hinders the majority. I would just call the school and ask them. If they say it's not allowed, then you know.

 

 

:iagree: Even if they allowed it in the past, they may start enforcing it now.

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As long as it's not during school hours, we're allowed to use the school playgrounds and parking lots. It's publicly funded property, I pay taxes to the schools to maintain that parking lot/play ground. I think getting to the bottom of it via the mayor and local news station is a good idea. My gut says the police man was wrong, but you never know.

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I wouldn't run in our local school parking lot because there are too many people learning to drive there. I don't even like driving past. They've run down trees and lamp posts there, and even took out the wall of our neighbor's basement (had to take out their very solid back fence to do it) and another neighbor's retaining wall.

 

So I have trouble understanding why the police would be concerned about a little running. You're not likely to cause structural damage if you run into a wall.

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Our local high school leaves their track open all the time so that people can walk or run on it.

 

 

As long as it's not during school hours, we're allowed to use the school playgrounds and parking lots. It's publicly funded property, I pay taxes to the schools to maintain that parking lot/play ground. I think getting to the bottom of it via the mayor and local news station is a good idea. My gut says the police man was wrong, but you never know.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

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