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Kicked off school property

G

Grandad

New member
Hello:
> I am trying to find on internet and detecting sites what the laws are for detecting public school property. Saturday 9-22-07, I was told to leave school property because "someone" didn't want me detecting there. I told the guy it was on my tax bill and it was public property but so as not to cause a problem I would leave and did so without him replying at all. Janitor just wanted to show his authority. Total find before he showed up was $.97. I've hunted for several years, am 55 years old and have never destroyed any property or caused any problems etc. Someone is always stopping someone elses fun. Have any of you run across any laws in Illinois other than state and federal parks that says public property can't be hunted? Thanks.
>
 
I have NEVER been told to leave a hunt site, however I ALWAYS ask permission and get it in writing if possible.
 
It recently happened to me too and I had permission from a number of people at the school but not the principal. There was rather long thread about it early in September. It was an upsetting experience for me. The site I went to immediately after leaving was even better which I guess was the silver lining to that dark cloud. I choose not pursue the matter any further as I was certain any decision the school board would make would be in support of the principal. If it was just a custodian, as it was in your case, I might have tried talking it over with somebody a little higher up. All they can say is no.

Yesterday I finally got permission to detect at a spot I had been itching to try all summer. I went and it was very dry so I decided to wait for some rain before I do a good search. My 45 minute test hunt was not encouraging.

Good luck and let us know what happens!

Chris
 
Small town Illinois which is all there is around here and we've hunted for over 10 years. Never hunt when school is in session, always fill in the hole if any, never cause problems and on private property have asked permission first. Everyone knows everyone or is related. Same thing where my brother in law lives in Indiana. When we first started detecting we got griped at by a woman, dressed to the teeth started complaining about us killing worms, disturbing the dirt where the kids football cleats were obvious but we weren't on the football field and that we should leave it where everyone could enjoy it. She said that. We sorta looked at here like she was looney and she left. I'm just seeing more and more where we can't detect but 4 wheelers can go mudding and if you hunt alone you are fair game for the greenies. The same brother in law mentioned and I used to go gold prospecting a lot. He had a favorite place to go that he found a lot of gold outside a state park, not in the park but outside, and the private property owners were told by rangers that they'd had complaints about him making muddy water and they told the private property owner to tell my brother in law to cease. Didn't matter he was cleaning up cans, tires, etc out of the river. I saw similar stories on internet but can't find any laws governing public property. Thanks for the reply.
 
What has happened back there? I grew up in southern Ilinois and it didn't used to be that way. What turned it into a Gestapo state? :) I live in a state where there are no restrictions and I can't believe the stories I hear coming out of that part of the country. A janitor doesn't really have the authority to run one off of anywhere. I'd write a formal letter to the head of the school board and remind them who actually owns the school property and who pays their extravagant wages, and bring to their attention that you are just there to metal detect - not excavate for a building project. Sure glad I don't live there anymore. What part of Illinois are you in? My cousin is superintendent of schools for about three counties back there.

I was back there several years ago and went detecting at some schools and never had a problem. It's getting bad when the public is evicted from their own property. Maybe this janitor had a detector and was protecting his hunting grounds, or he had a buddy or relative that hunted there. Lot of cronyism back there.

Bill
 
In the case of school property, who is it best to ask, or does it vary by district? There's a school nearby that I'd like to hunt and just swing in the bark, but I don't want to invite a nasty confrontation for a little clad and dime store jewelry.

HH,
Relic
 
Bill: Thanks for the reply. In Vermilion county is where I detect mostly or over in Indiana Fountain County. I'm not sure what happened if someone didn't cover their hole up or what. The janitor needs to metal detect. Looks like all he detects is pizza and he's champ of that. I used to brag about a couple of coins I found 1871 cc seated liberty dime, and 1904 $5 gold coin. Both coins from same spot. Now I'm afraid it belongs to antiquity and will get confiscated along with arrow heads I've picked up. There are a couple of good old fairgrounds from 1800's that I can't wait til the beans and corn is out so can hit it again. My story about the gold coin is in the Garrett searcher fall 2001 edition. This is the first time I was told to leave a local school yard. They had an antique car show there a couple weeks ago and there were ruts in the ground from that. I didn't dig anything comparable to that.
Jeff
 
I can't help with the eastern states but here in California school property is not always public property unless there is a joint use agreement with the local town or county government. I once incurred the wrath of some female teacher that saw me detecting, this was on a saturday...she was totally flipped and was ready to stroke-out...I finally just said fine, I will leave...but, not quite that nicely.

Fred
 
yeah you get people like that. i was in a park where i live in sc an told to leave by a park ranger, i did leave and called the parks dept. i was told i could md there so i went back and he apologize to me. there after all ok.

good hunting to you
bob
 
override him. Anal orifice of a guy. The MD Club nearby that many members but not all, don't believe in property rights asked the construction crew, They cleaned up. A new superintendent arrived and they have a display in the school of some of the things that they found. See if you can get an appointment and offer to show your technique and some of the nasties that you have found on school property. Get the permission in writing if possible. I learned my lesson the hard way though. If they want you to turn in anything identifiable, offer to give the principals office a simple description and if the student can identify the item you'll gladly return it to the school to be given to the child. The former superintendent didn't return one of my find's and it went into lost and found MAYBE. It wasn't valuable but they hadn't found anyone who claimed it.The city attorney may give you an opinion also. If the school doesn't allow outside groups access may sink you.
HH
 
You know, your story sounds more and more like mine all the time. The grass at the school where I no longer metal detect is used as a spillover parking lot for the park across the street. I always left with a big sack of cans, cups, and food wrappers and I also repaired more than a few ruts left by cars parked on a muddy field. The high school is currently undergoing a major renovation which is far behind schedule and way over budget and the public is quickly losing patience with the situation.

Chris
 
Not out here. If there are fences there are gates open to the public. It's so nice to live in a free state. :rofl: WE even have cable access TV out here where you can watch stuff you'll never see on commercial TV. Any citizen here can go down to the studio and make their own TV show and air it as often as they wish all for free, or film their show on location. How many of you have a deal like that?

Bill
 
The local high schools in my area keep the playing fields under lock and key. We (the local MD folks) got the boot from a local HS due to one MD person that did not fill their holes.

Right now I am still working some private land that I have permission to hunt on, Beale.
 
This was awhile back, but I thought Oregon had a law or was going to pass a law to tax you on the miles you drive. There isn't anything free. It is only an allusion. They just squeeze money out of you. Hoping not to hit the point that you revolt.
 
In the town where I live you are required (no one inforces it) to have a permit to hunt the parks and school yards. Got mine. Not worried.......
 
I wouldn't encourage that at all. That was my whole point is that the property taxes here are so outrageous and the schools are part of our property taxes. Grade school ball game for 5th grade girls cost $3.00 each. Who gets the $1. fee. They (officials elected and unelected) have found a way to dip into our pockets all the time for another fee. I hope that doesn't get around here. I like the bumper sticker that says "Don't steal, the government doesn't like the competition." I'm glad when I found my gold coin and other silver I wasn't using a screwdriver or I'd have damaged the coin. Thanks for the reply. Any relation to the famous guitar player Roy Bookbinder.
 
They don't charge the fee any more. Lady said it was too much hassle for the paper work. She handed me the permit and said good luck hunting. The name Rosco Bookbinder came from an old western movie about 40 years ago (been using it ever since). No relation that I know of...heeeh...
 
So far there are no fences here and no license fees either thankfully. It (fences) would be another addition to the taxes and doesn't keep out the perverts either. Law abiding tax payers don't get the benefits of what we're paying for. Being a disabled veteran I thought it would be alright to ask the guard at the local VA if we could hunt there. You'd have thought I had asked to dig at Ft. Knox. Good thing he was bigger and younger than me...:)
 
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