I was wondering if anyone has ever tried and successfully received permission to go on school property. My son goes to an elementary down the street from our house. I'd just love to jump the fence and go looking, but then a swat team probably would take me out...... I was thinking of contacting the school principle to get more info. I'll post more when the results are in......
Find's Treasure Forums
Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!
You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.
Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.
Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.
Click here to register!
Need Support Help?
Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you
Changed email? Forgot to update your account with new email address? Need assistance with something else?, click here to go to Find's Support Form and fill out the form.
Searching on school property in Florida
- Thread starter El Guapo
- Start date
JimmyCT
Well-known member
Jump the fence? You mean the whole school is enclosed? I live in the Northeast part of the country and have never run across this situation. I strongly advise going detecting while school is in session or even after school. I usually save schools for the weekend / holidays when everyone is off.
Yes... all the public schools here in Florida, that I've seen, are enclosed by a fence. Over the weekend and holidays there in lock down..... I am about to take my son to school in the next hour. I am going to try and talk to the principal and give it a shot. Standby fer Up Dates!!!
It might be a long wait..... lolThey are building them like prisons now a days to prepare the kids for their future...I ONLY do schools on the weekends or when they are out for the holidays...even then, if theres anybody there for an event of somesort, just dont go...the very best outcome is to meet up with the maintenance personel..they have all the keys, and they also need to find sprinkler heads and whatnot occasionally...they can be found at the schools early on the weekends, just be nice and friendly and dress good too, dont wear a toolbelt or carry ANYTHING that looks like a shovel or knife, and if you smoke, be very discreet or wait until you leave the grounds.....all you need is a 6" flat screwdriver tucked up along your arm, you dont even need a Pinpointer, just gun for shallow freshies....never hop the fence no matter how tempting it may look, and brother, it CAN be tempting! Get in and out fast and early.. Sunday mornings the best time...I bet the Principal says no..(liability) and I bet the maintenance guys say yes, or they dont care, or knock yourself out, or something like that......always pack out any trash you find, and do a few good deeds for the maintenance guys and you are home free...even then, if anybody ever sees you there and reports it, you are done...so early and fast is the key...bummer huh? Not like even a few years ago...
Mud
Mud
Simpsonslammer
Active member
.....when on school property don't bring a knife to dig with. I bought a garden trowl that has a edge on it. Doesn't look so intimadating
kaolinwasher
Well-known member
Yep never go when school in on always weekends, or evenings, dig nice holes and do not damige the grass. and pick up trash , and its a good chance you will have thear approval - I remember asking a church if I could detect and the guy said he would have to look into the legal ramifications , well I never heard back .
foiled again tab hunter
Member
n/t
kaolinwasher
Well-known member
boy the school shootings really got things on edge,
El Guapo, when you say the public school yards in FL are "fenced", are you sure there's not a turn-style or gate entrance thing ? Because in CA (for example), our schools are "fenced" also. However, there's always a gate or wide-spot opening, that you can simply go right through. And there's no shortage of people who will go into school yards after hours or on weekends, to do things like use the basket ball hoops, jog the track, or whatever.
So when you say "fenced", do you litterally mean, with no walk-through opening of any sort? And let me ask you this: would it be unusual to see others there after school hours walking their dog, or flying a kite, or using the swings, etc....?
And as far as the principle's "no", well, again, using CA as an example: We routinely detect the school yards here (when they're a ghost town for the weekends, or late in the afternoons when school is long-since-out), and .... just go in through wherever the access is through the fence. And we never ask anyone. And we never have any problem. However, I'm sure if at all of those schools where I'd never had a problem, if I were to have asked enough bureaucrats, then sure, I too could have gotten myself a "no". Got the drift? Sometimes "no" is simply the "safe" answer, and often times no one cares ..... UNTIL you ask.
So when you say "fenced", do you litterally mean, with no walk-through opening of any sort? And let me ask you this: would it be unusual to see others there after school hours walking their dog, or flying a kite, or using the swings, etc....?
And as far as the principle's "no", well, again, using CA as an example: We routinely detect the school yards here (when they're a ghost town for the weekends, or late in the afternoons when school is long-since-out), and .... just go in through wherever the access is through the fence. And we never ask anyone. And we never have any problem. However, I'm sure if at all of those schools where I'd never had a problem, if I were to have asked enough bureaucrats, then sure, I too could have gotten myself a "no". Got the drift? Sometimes "no" is simply the "safe" answer, and often times no one cares ..... UNTIL you ask.
MarkCZ
Well-known member
The new schools around here are really "Compounds" they're still a few grade schools and a few middle schools that are somewhat open, the high schools are State Compounds! with very little modification and the government gets the idea they can raise are kids better than we can, and they get their flip-flop of power to them and not the people, these "Compounds" will be our kids New Homes!mudpuppy said:
Mark
Sure were ok..but who else might want access to that school grounds. Right or wrong..If it is fenced and maybe even locked at night you may be stopped or told no..
If only fenced and not locked then give it a shot on non school hours. Know the law on what you can and can not take on school grounds.. Knives are a no no in most counties on school property. Guns too.
Lets be serious and not argumentative here for a moment..If the schools make their grounds safer in todays world for our kids.. Go with the program please.. finding a few coins isn't worth causing a problem .
Soon all schools may be off limits except in the day time hours, for school business only.. If it takes that to stop violence in our schools IT"S OK WITH ME.
If only fenced and not locked then give it a shot on non school hours. Know the law on what you can and can not take on school grounds.. Knives are a no no in most counties on school property. Guns too.
Lets be serious and not argumentative here for a moment..If the schools make their grounds safer in todays world for our kids.. Go with the program please.. finding a few coins isn't worth causing a problem .
Soon all schools may be off limits except in the day time hours, for school business only.. If it takes that to stop violence in our schools IT"S OK WITH ME.
Well here's the deal with the school and any other school I've have seen here in Florida. There are totally enclosed by a locked fence. If you Google, "Liberty Elementary School, Port Charlotte, Florida", and go to street level you can see what I mean. Just this past month some teen age children were arrested for trespassing on school property somewhere here in Florida. So the option go first ask later is off the table. I did try the route with asking the grounds keeper. But there really is no grounds keeper. The grounds keepers take care of all the schools in the county. So it's not a reliable source for access.
I've been looking into the history of the county. Most buildings didn't start going up until the 70's. So I thought the schools might be a good place to start. There are a few parks and tech schools that are open during the weekends. There on my list of places to search. I also have a beach that's 30 mins away. A town south of here called Punta Gorda is much older and has a history of a railway from the 1800's. I am going to visit the old railway station this morning and bring my detector with me. It's now a museum, but next door across the tracks is a business with a large grassy area that might be a good place to look. I'll check with the owner of the place first just because...... If I find anything interesting I'll post some pics...
I've been looking into the history of the county. Most buildings didn't start going up until the 70's. So I thought the schools might be a good place to start. There are a few parks and tech schools that are open during the weekends. There on my list of places to search. I also have a beach that's 30 mins away. A town south of here called Punta Gorda is much older and has a history of a railway from the 1800's. I am going to visit the old railway station this morning and bring my detector with me. It's now a museum, but next door across the tracks is a business with a large grassy area that might be a good place to look. I'll check with the owner of the place first just because...... If I find anything interesting I'll post some pics...
I live in Florida.
There is not a single school yard in any county I have visited that allows you to enter and metal detect. Even in the evenings or on weekends when no one is there.
The school yards are fenced and even those with access entrances have signs that say that unless you are there on school business, you are trespassing.
You need the principal's permission.
Sad to say.
There may be some counties in Florida that don't have this rule, but I haven't seen one yet.
There is not a single school yard in any county I have visited that allows you to enter and metal detect. Even in the evenings or on weekends when no one is there.
The school yards are fenced and even those with access entrances have signs that say that unless you are there on school business, you are trespassing.
You need the principal's permission.
Sad to say.
There may be some counties in Florida that don't have this rule, but I haven't seen one yet.