Hi folks just wondering if public schools are legal to hunt during the summer when closed for vacation? Any one have an idea? Thanks
Yes. They are LEGAL to hunt!!! Any day school is not in session!
...... I found most all public schools were fenced in and the gates locked. This does present a problem as fence climbing to get around a locked gate may constitute trespassing.
Rudy, seems that fencing of schools started around the mid 1970s. Depending on what city, state, etc.... I'm sure it's because of things like to curb vandalism, or things like perverts, or to be able to "usher someone on" if they're creating a problem, etc.... But seems like even most of those schools have a permanently propped open gate.
And let's be serious now: if you drive past those schools on a weekend or after hours, don't you see other people there? Eg.: jogging the track, shooting hoops, walking their dog, etc... ?
I was detecting a local school one time not to long ago 2 cops showed up and told me I had to go that I could not do this here. I just said ok I'm sorry I thought this was public property they said not with out permission. So I guess it could go both ways.
Tom, in San Jose, Milpitas and other surrounding areas what you say is true. Down here in SoCal, with rare exceptions, there are no gates left open in most schools. They are like concentration camps. The public schools in Claremont where I lived were an exception, but drive a couple of miles to Montclair, or Chino, and they are locked up tight. Don't know if the lockup policy varies by city or school districts.
Can't speak for all SoCal. Maybe some Angelinos, etc. can speak for their areas.
So the EOS here in reality is that public schools should never be considered legal until declared otherwise. My guess it that most of those stating schools are perfectly legal, are those who hit them at 5-6am or near dark-thirty.
If you sincerely think they are absolutely legal to detect, how about hitting them midday? The public part of "public property" don't seem to mean a heck of lot if confronted.
....... Down here in SoCal, with rare exceptions, there are no gates left open in most schools. They are like concentration camps.....
.... If you sincerely think they are absolutely legal to detect, how about hitting them midday? The public part of "public property" don't seem to mean a heck of lot if confronted.
Rudy, here's the story passed on to me, by a long-time so. CA hunter. He said that back in the 1970s, none of the schools were fenced. Or ... if fenced, easy walk-in access points and schools used after-hours by the public anyhow. But sometime in the late '70s or early '80s, the following incident occurred:
A young married couple had their toddler at the school's playground equipment. The toddler was still in diapers , as far as age goes. The parents were putting the kid down the slide. But the kid fell over the side of the slide, and was permanently injured-for-life (serious spinal injury or whatever). The parents sued the school district AND WON !! Can you believe that? For having un-safe equipment, side-rails on the slide were not high enough, etc... After the school district paid out a judgement award in the millions, guess what they went and did ? Put fences around all the schools! And neighboring city's school district's followed suit, taking the advice/lesson of this other school.
So as you can see from that story above, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH METAL DETECTING. It's just a step they must take, so that if you slip on a bananna peel, you can't sue them. They can right-fully say "well ... you shouldn't have been there"
Thus yes I've heard that your schools are not only fenced, but ... truly buttoned up. (no gate left open, blah blah ). So they only way you'd get into those, is if you climbed the fence (on a weekend or holiday, etc...). But .... No , ... no one should ever do that.