Skateboard ban prompts student petition

[G-Suede]

Seriously, WTF? Safety concern? Give me a break.



A Calgary high school has banned skateboards from the property, upsetting hundreds of students who have signed a petition.

The principal from St. Francis High School wasn’t available for an interview, but Catholic school board spokeswoman Janet Sutherland said safety concerns were behind the decision.

"There is a district-wide policy that states that skateboards cannot be used on school property and some schools have gone a step further to make it their policy that skateboards cannot be brought to school," she said.

Liza-Jane Karieter, a Grade 12 student, said a skateboard cuts her commute by a third.

"It's fun just to go down hills and just go extremely fast, and if you fall off, then whatever, you fall off, you get back up and do it again."

Students who skateboard said the rule singles them out since it doesn't apply to bikes or inline skates.

"We're troublemakers or whatever you want to call them,” Karieter said. “I don't think it should be like that."

John Maitland, a Grade 12 student, said he isn’t allowed to even bring his skateboard into the school and put it in his locker.

"The rule is you're not allowed to take it in and put it under your arm because it's a weapon,” he said. "All I want is so that I can be able to pick it up and put it in my locker, so that I can go to school faster and leave school faster, even if they just made amendments to the rule."

The students have a petition with more than 800 names, but Sutherland says the policy is not up for review.

"They're in place for a reason so students may not like the policy, but it is there for their safety,” she said.


Link to CBC story. (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/04/28/cgy-skateboard-ban-school-petition.html?ref=rss#articlecomments)

[adam c]

slow day in the news world?

[alloroc]

If these kids are really using them for transportation they could get away with treating them like a bike.

Drill a hole in the back or side and then lock it to the bike racks with a short cable.

[kevie88]

I used to skateboard to school at St. Francis in the "old days" quite often when the weather was good.

I never hit anyone with the skateboard, ever. To ban Skateboards is rediculous, especially in this day and age.

[Masked Bandit]

I can promise you that lawyers are the ones behind this.

Kid takes board to school

Kid falls on school property

Kid's parents sue school / school board

Profit!


I know it's ridiculous but I bet that's exactly what happened somewhere and now the school board is just covering their ass. To take that a step further, in some situations the board have been held liable for the kids on their way too and from the schools, not just on school property.


Thanks lawyers....we're all safer now because of you.

[TorqueDog]

And the pussification continues.

[jdmXSI]

WTF??? "The rule is you're not allowed to take it in and put it under your arm because it's a weapon" Seriously? What about base ball bats, hockey sticks, Lacrosse that are used for after school activities. As if those are never used as weapons, give me a break... :banghead:

[G-Suede]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
I can promise you that lawyers are the ones behind this.

Kid takes board to school

Kid falls on school property

Kid's parents sue school / school board

Profit!


I know it's ridiculous but I bet that's exactly what happened somewhere and now the school board is just covering their ass. To take that a step further, in some situations the board have been held liable for the kids on their way too and from the schools, not just on school property.


Thanks lawyers....we're all safer now because of you.

In that case, I suspect the number of bicycle and inline injuries far surpass those of skateboards so why are they not banned as well?

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by G-Suede


In that case, I suspect the number of bicycle and inline injuries far surpass those of skateboards so why are they not banned as well?

Because decision are never made on facts and stats but on what ifs.

Or may be someone has been playing too much GTA:SA with skateboard mod. :D

[7thgenvic]

Ban them.........Who cares

[FLARE]

^^Ban you... who cares...............

[dansmith11]

Originally posted by 7thgenvic
Ban them.........Who cares

800 students apparently.

[anschutz_92]

Student petition = LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

You are better off satisfying the stay-at-home moms who are worried about the neighbor kid falling off his skateboard then some 16y/o punks who think their names on a petition will actually achieve anything.

[Redlyne_mr2]

I would force my child to take a skateboard to school even if he/she wasnt into skateboarding lol.

[7thgenvic]

Originally posted by FLARE
^^Ban you... who cares...............

Petitions work REALLY well..... hahahahahahah epic fail on the behalf of those 800 students

[SOAB]

Originally posted by 7thgenvic


Petitions work REALLY well..... hahahahahahah epic fail on the behalf of those 800 students

so do nothing?

thats a great message to send to teenagers. if you don't like something, do nothing about it. don't try to change things that aren't right. do go about it the right way, by trying to put a voice to your concerns. do nothing cause shit gets changed that way.

we should ban all cars with more than 150 hp cause they're dangerous. nothing you can do about it.

[OH-EIGHT]

this is stupid... i can put a textbook under my arm and use it as a weapon too
id support banning cell phones in class though

[hampstor]

It's a catholic school. What do you expect... in some back dungeon they probably found an image of Satan on a skateboard and using safety as an excuse to ban it.

[TorqueDog]

Originally posted by SOAB
so do nothing?

thats a great message to send to teenagers. if you don't like something, do nothing about it. don't try to change things that aren't right. do go about it the right way, by trying to put a voice to your concerns. do nothing cause shit gets changed that way.Exactly, there's enough apathy in the world. It's time someone gave a shit about something, even something as small as this.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by alloroc
If these kids are really using them for transportation they could get away with treating them like a bike.

Drill a hole in the back or side and then lock it to the bike racks with a short cable.

But in this case, they aren't even allowed to bring their "bike" to school.

[BigMass]

As a safety concern I wouldn’t send my kids to public school to risk being influenced by the idiots who run them.

[BigMass]

Originally posted by SOAB


so do nothing?

thats a great message to send to teenagers. if you don't like something, do nothing about it. don't try to change things that aren't right. do go about it the right way, by trying to put a voice to your concerns. do nothing cause shit gets changed that way.

we should ban all cars with more than 150 hp cause they're dangerous. nothing you can do about it.

Well, that message is reality. The younger they learn that there is no way to fight the fascist regime they live under, the happier their lives will be. It won’t be any different for them in adulthood.

[GingeRRRBeef]

I think the Catholic School Board should just ban kids altogether. Kids can't get hurt if there are none.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by alloroc
If these kids are really using them for transportation they could get away with treating them like a bike.

Drill a hole in the back or side and then lock it to the bike racks with a short cable.

Really? You can't be serious..... :rofl:

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by Silver_SpecV
I think the Catholic School Board should just ban kids altogether. Kids can't get hurt if there are none.

[scat19]

I don't understand how the one kid on t.v wanted to set himself apart and say long-board. I mean really? No-one cares or knows what that is. You're special with have a skateboard that is a little longer than others. Good for you :thumbsup: