Digging Permission from Schools

[Johnnysan]

Last Friday I called the local school board, a private academy and a private Catholic school for permission to metal detect and dig on their property. I had to leave messages at all of them, but no one has returned a call. Am I going about this the wrong way? Should I write a letter?

 

[mlayers]

I called the principle and got permission from him at the school....Matt

 

[boogeyman]

Better to talk to them face to face. Harder to put you on hold or just blow you off & they can see that you appear fine & upstanding. I've had pretty good luck with the security people here, but I asume not all districts have security people.

 

[Sandman]

It is much better to contact them in person so they can judge you. Leaving phone messages is easy to just ignore them which they can't in person. Don't get upset if they say no, just thank them for their time and leave a business card in case they change their mind. Offer to help find something that has been lost by students too. There is plenty of ground to search.

Good Luck
Sandman

 

[rmptr]

Jonysan, I'm with the sandman... meet in person is always best.

If you feel they could be good productive places, go the extra mile!

Glue some of the hazardous things we find onto a piece of cardstock... rusty nail, tacks, pull tab, needle,
maybe a shell casing, bit of broken glass.... have it prepared so you can show the principal or whoever,
that you actually provide a valuable service that benefits their safety.

Then you can show her/him another card with a few 90% silver coins on it, a wheatback, a foreign coin or two,
and a couple adjustable cheapo rings... I always say. "they could have easily been a more valuable ring".
Tell them you would be glad to advise them of any particularly valuable, or hazardous discovery.

Take along a sharpened screwdriver and describe how it is what you use for a retrieval probe.
Assure her/him they will never know you had been there as you don't disturb anything.

Dress well and make the contact on a day when you feel at your best for making a presentation.

Since you have already called, now you have a precedent, and can introduce yourself as the fellow who called the other day! Not much, but it's a foot in the door.

Good luck!
rmptr

 

[MayberryMonte]

Just go on the weekends. There's usually no one around then. Most schools don't want anyone on their grounds during schools hours. I'm a teacher and the way things are these days, it makes us nervous to see a stranger hanging around. Good luck.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I'm with mayberry-monte on this one. Break down your question into 2 parts:

a) Johnny, you say you "...called the local school board..." You're talking about a public school(s) in this part? If so, then permission not needed. If the school is open for others afterschool hours (joggers, monkey-bars, basketball, etc...) then think of yourself as no different than any of them. If you intend to leave no trace of your having been there (everything re-packed, stomped, fluffed, etc...) then the "digging" thing is a mute point IMHO. If you're there after 5pm, or on weekends, I bet no one cares or would've noticed you (unless you were being a nuisance, sticking out, leaving holes, etc...)

b) as for "....a private academy and a private Catholic school..." Yes they are technically private. But so too is a shopping center, for example, & no one is prohibited from waltzing through. Ie.: open, but "Permission to pass is revokable by owner..." I went to a parochial school up till 6th grade. After school, we would return to the school yard ... as it was sort of like the neighborhood playground. Then in 7th grade, when I got my first metal detector (although I was now in public Jr. High) the natural place to go try it out, was at this nearby parochial school I had attended years earlier. It never even occured to us (although the mid 1970s may have been a different climate?) that anything was wrong. It was open school grounds, and seemed open to anyone else after hours. No one ever said anything to us, and we mined lots of silver coins Now I suppose if a nun had come out to tell us "scram", then of course they could've. But no one ever paid us any mind.

But the scenario in b-above has many many other factors where common sense comes into play. Like: is it fenced or posted? Are others using it afterhours (basketball, jog, etc...). Are we talking historical monuments? Super-groomed turf @ an uppidty up institution? or small-town back-lot scruffy school sandbox? I mean, it's no different than decisions we md'rs make for a public site too: sometimes you just have to use common sense, to know when you need to go through bureaucracy, verses when it's obvious no one could care less. Ie.: some public parks you can just "feel" that you'd be a pink elephant walking around, so you skip them. Others you can tell they're low key.

 

[relichunters]

It's better to walk in the school while its in session and talk to the principal in his office in my opinion, because you can really explain yourself to him/her that way. Also ensure that you wouldn't do it during school hours.

 

[Lowbatts]

Never had a problem working the schoolyards around here. If you want know, and make a call, the answer is usually "no." But if anyone comes around to see what you're doing, it's never a problem. Would never approach the school when it's in session, just a no-no in the social climate we share these days. Besides unless it's pre-arranged with a teacher, you don't want uncontrolled recess-happy little younguns tearing at your finds!

 

[Johnnysan]

Thanks for the advice. I guess the best thing to do is approach the principals in person. The security is present at most schools here; it's not uncommon to see the local police or sheriff on the grounds even after students have gone home. It might be a lot less of a sticky situation with the administration's permission when the law starts asking questions.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Born-2-dtect, in the context of public city schools, can you please cite any such incidents of this statement of yours: "If you do not get permission you could be arrested and have your detector confiscated." I mean, please give me even one incident of someone detecting an normal public school (not a historical or posted monument or something), and having "been arrested" and/or "detector confiscated". My hunch is you can not cite such an incident.

Why then this "confiscation" and "arrest" banter gets thrown out by a few, anytime someone even asks about detecting the most innocuous of city sandboxes.... is besides me

 

[boogeyman]

I could see being cited for tresspass or vandalism if you left holes, and your detector being held as evidence. But the detector would more than likely be returned after a court appearance or two.

If you can point us to a documented case were a detector was "seized" I'd be really interested! If you have an article or link to a news story, it might be something everyone here would like to see.

 

[MayberryMonte]

The public schools around Chattanooga have signs on the playgrounds That read: " This property is for the use of the school from ___ to ___ ", depending on the school hours. Some of the schools have started locking down the playgrounds after hours and on weekends because of liability issues. A lot of schools have after school programs so usually you have to wait until 6. At the higher level schools, they usually will have a sign reading: " no use of these fields without permission" which is meant for people playing or practicing on the ballfields. Like I said in an earlier post, just go on the weekends and I don't think anyone will say a thing. If they do, just show them your trash and explain how you're helping keep the place clean.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Yes, all property is owned by someone. And last I checked, city parks and schools were owned by "we the people"

So as for "why chance it?" That question just assumes there's some sort of "chance" to begin with. Ie.: that something is wrong with md'ing to start with. And unless someone can come up with incidents of persons "arrested" and "confiscations" from run-of-the-mill city parks or schools, I'm still scratching my head on where this comes from. To me, it's like the guy who intends to throw a frisbee in a park. Does he think "why chance it, I better ask the mayor first"? No, of course not. That's the way I see md'ing at a place that has no specific wording or existing rules. So the "why chance it?" question seems like ... "why chance what??"

You're right, the "digging" part is the culprit here. There's practically no way around that, and simply using the word "dig" is a quick way to get your "permission" revoked Unless we just want to angle for surface clad within probe distance (which is boring as heck). So my take on this is: If we intend to leave no trace of our efforts (perfectly replaced plugs with a flap, stomped back and ruffled, etc...) then I can mentaly justify that therefore it's like nose-picking: sometimes you just gotta do it, but you don't advertise it. So I hunt parks at low traffic times, move on if I see it's gardener day at a particular locale, etc...

mayberry, yes .... the issue of fenced schools (with signs like you describe) is a whole other issue. Schools around here started getting that about 15-ish years ago. But people still go there . There's still a turn-style entrance, or gaps in the gate, etc... for people who use the track or basketball, etc.... Those signs started appearing after schools feared getting sued for someone falling off the swings, or perverts showing up during school hours, etc... I'd say the signs are there so that if you slip on a bananna peel, they can say "well you shouldn't have been there to begin with"

 

[MayberryMonte]

I go to a lot of schools because there's usually stuff to be found there and this gives me a chance to learn my MD. I've probably hit over 40 schools in the last 4 months and no one has ever said a word, usually because no one's there to say anything. As many people have said on here, common sense is the rule.

 

[Lowbatts]

I go to a lot of schools because there's usually stuff to be found there and this gives me a chance to learn my MD. I've probably hit over 40 schools in the last 4 months and no one has ever said a word, usually because no one's there to say anything. As many people have said on here, common sense is the rule.

It's only common sense not to go while school is in session. The schoolyards and playgrounds can be gold mines here abouts. But as sensible folk would know, it's early Saturday or Sunday work. Especially given some of the neighbors at some of these yards.

 

[WheatbackDigger]

Never had a problem working the schoolyards around here. If you want know, and make a call, the answer is usually "no." But if anyone comes around to see what you're doing, it's never a problem. Would never approach the school when it's in session, just a no-no in the social climate we share these days. Besides unless it's pre-arranged with a teacher, you don't want uncontrolled recess-happy little younguns tearing at your finds!

Just a reminder. The OP is seeking permission to hunt a private school, not public. Permission is a MUST. Public shools, if not posted, I hunt without permission. Never had a problem or incident. I've only seen one public school that had signs posted "no metal detecting".