To support DS to break school rules?

[Woffa]

My DS's secondary school has issued a written ban on sixth formers driving to school and parking in the local roads nearby (even though there are no double yellow lines etc) to avoid upsetting the residents.
The bus fare for DS is expensive and the saving helps pay for his insurance.

AIBU to support him in ignoring the ban?

Loving "where's your policeman's hat"

The school cannot enforce this, but the mere fact they have written in response to residents' concerns suggests there is a problem.

If people keep driving, expect it to become residents only parking for an hour a day, between 11-12 (or perhaps longer) to prevent this. The council are probably already involved.

Are there that many sixth formers driving in? The school sounds like it is doing this to appease the locals but know it is not enforceable, as do the locals probably.

With so many rules these days it is a good lesson for your son to learn about which ones need to be followed and questioning the others - a valuable lesson to learn at an early age

i love mums net. We have a parking thread where people say the school has no control over what is done outside of school, yet when parents park badly for drop offs and pick ups there is a general cry of 'complain to the school' and 'make the head go out there and stop them'.

Actually, I'm pretty sure the school can make this rule if they choose to. Not from a legal point of view, but as a school rule. Same as no smoking outside school - technically not illegal, but a school rule never the less.

Although how they would know if your DC was driving , I don't know, if he parked far enough away and walked the last bit. Unless some one reported them I guess.

YNBU. Tell the school to provide a free bus to school or shut up.

And by shut up I mean fuck off

Agree, midnite

And whilst I think it's good paltata (what a strange username!) to question rules, you also need to teach children why rules are there in the first place.

I have a personal amusement about how much people hate 'elf and safety' rules and think they're all ridiculous and 'from Europe' and 'jobsworth-y', but the very second someone they love is adversely affected, everyone starts screaming 'why aren't there laws about this!!!'. It happened last week on this very site. There was a thread, about Challenge 25, which was about people over 25 being asked to prove they were 18 (some of them were pensioners) and everyone said " why can't they just use common sense? " which ran alongside a thread about mobility scooters (which seem - from the thread - to be unregulated) where every post was " why aren't there laws about this? " together with horror stories of people being knocked over and dying.

Sometimes you have to trust authority. Sometimes you have to rebel against it. But it's a shame when your motivation to rebel comes from a place which only conveniences yourself, isn't it.

Found it, FarFromAnyRoad!

Obvious compromise would be for the students to car pool.

If he parks a few streets and then walks into school, his sould they even know he'd driven there?

'His sould' = how would

As long as he's parked up legally there's nothing anyone can do, including the school. It's not their business and they're probably paying lip service to a local resident. Parking on zigzags etc outside a school is totally different.

Sctually, I'm pretty sure the school can make this rule if they choose to. Not from a legal point of view, but as a school rule. Same as no smoking outside school - technically not illegal, but a school rule never the less.

I don't think the school can make a rule to say no smoking outside of school either. Not the school's business what happens off the premises. Some 6th formers will be 18. School can't say no smoking in any way besides no smoking IN school.

We lived three roads away from a school, with no driveways and in theory a perfectly legal parking opportunity for any student. Sadly, this meant that none of the residents could park in the street if they had the temerity to leave the house during school arrival times. It also meant that residents were subject to kids hanging around outside their houses for hours, car doors open, stereos blaring, swearing, smoking, and generally being a right pita. They even started parking on top of the grassed traffic island.

I lost count of the number of times I was unable to park in the same street as my house, and rued the day that I had turned down an offered disabled bay.

It was a glorious pita and caused so many problems that in the end we were forced into the expense of making it a permit only parking area to ensure we could park within half a mile of the house, with shopping bags, disabled kids, toddlers, babies etc.

We had tried to negotiate with the school, asking the students to car pool or even just to be more respectful of residents. School also provided additional parking for the students, but it was an additional two minutes walk and as an empty gravel area, wasn't as nice to hang out on in a free period.

Hopefully your son would be more respectful, but sadly, many many years of young drivers exercising their rights to legally park in residential areas has ruined it for the sensible ones.

The school can't just ban him from doing something he's legally entitled to do off their premises, surely? Have they specified where they suggest they do park, or offered any alternative suggestions? What is the punishment for breaking this rule? I would definitely take it up with the school and get it clarified.

I always get annoyed by these sorts of stories anyway. "I bought a house near a large secondary school which presumably was here first and now I get angry if the general day to day business of said school affects me personally."

There's an obvious solution for the moaners......

Generally I walk to pick dd (5) up from school. (It's about 1.5 miles so she scoots and the baby goes in the buggy.) But one day a week she has gym club and there isn't time to go home first.

So I drive and park about half a mile away and then walk from there. Pretty sure it doesn't bother the residents as no one else does it. Could he do that? At 17 he could easily park a mile away and walk in in 15 minutes.

I would speak to the school and see if a compromise can be reached. I am sure they haven't plucked this out of thin air. Residents have probably complained and they are trying their best. They may not be able to enforce it, but they do have to try and be good neighbours.

I would guess some sixth formers have been parking selfishly, which is why they have been banned. Very unfair if your ds parks correctly, but I can understand the school doing this if they are getting complaints.

Out right ignoring the rule is likely to cause more problems for your ds. Its best to try and resolve it outright. If for some reason he can't do this alone, they help him resolve it rather than just ignore the request.

Is the bus fare more expensive than petrol?

YANBU.

The school has no jurisdiction banning students from legally parking.

Have they said what the penalty will be for ignoring this rule?

It must cost far more to provide/insure his car than the £700 on bus fares.

So does the 'cost' part of your argument really add up?

The residents must be really pissed off to be taking action. I think it's all become residents parking by September, because voluntary self-restraint will be shown to be ineffective.

It's very, very unlikely that driving is cheaper - and presumably he's managed fine on the bus until now.

However if it were my son, and driving was genuinely the most practical option, I'd suggest parking 5 minutes walk from the school and making sure he doesn't piss off any residents.

There's a sixth form college here which has grown rapidlyin recent years and causes major parking problems on nearby streets, making it almost impossible for buses to get through, dangerous for younger children crossing the roads etc. The council are putting in restrictions now, no parking between 11 and 12. I doubt this school would be trying to ban parking unless they have had a lot of complaints. If the students carry on I wouldn't be surprised if this was the next step.

I don't think the school can make a rule to say no smoking outside of school either. Not the school's business what happens off the premises. .

Yes they can, and many do, especially if the student is in school uniform . As I said - not from a legal point of view, but a school rule. Most school rules aren't legally enforcable ( can't call a policeman because Johnny didn't do his homework!) but that doesn't mean the school can't have the rule .

The secondary school my DSs go to considers that all students represent the school while in uniform , whether on or off the premises. And they do give out detentions and other sanctions for smoking, fighting or any other infringements of the school rules, even if they take place out of the school premises, such as when a child is walking home.

All the three secondary schools in this area require that students and parents sign a document when they join the school to say they will follow the school rules . Bit rough in the students of this rule has been added in after though!

My DDs primary school is at the end of a cul dec sac, and has banned parents from dropping off children by car within the cul de sac, as it became so dangerous with cars turning to leave, while so many small children were about.

The point about the saving is presumably that he already has the car, and therefore is paying for insurance etc anyway on top of the bus fare; therefore the only cost per trip is petrol and a bit of wear and tear. I think the best solution is to park around 5 minutes away and to vary where he parks.