| 02/08/2013 |
| Madison parents to speak to board about towed cars |
| By CHUCK CLEMENT, Staff Reporter |
If the meeting agenda isn't changed, members of the Madison School Board on Monday night will hear from parents wanting to discuss the towing of student vehicles earlier this week from the high school parking lot.
According to Seitz, six vehicles were towed on Tuesday from the student parking lot. The information that Seitz has received indicates that the students were penalized for parking on the parking-stall outlines painted on the lot's surface. "From what the kids were told, they were parked on the lines," Seitz said. Seitz said that, according to what he has learned, the students wouldn't have broken any traffic laws if the cars were parked on indicator lines. "As far as I can tell, (the students) followed policy," Seitz said. "They were all parked in the right section. They were parked where they were supposed to be." Seitz specifically objected -- as he views the incident -- to school officials not following their own rules. He pointed out that school district policy indicates that towing vehicles falls among the penalties for a history of multiple parking or driving offenses. Attempts by The Daily Leader to contact school district officials about the parking incident were unsuccessful before print time. The student handbook for the high school has a couple of sections outlining policies for student parking. One section instructs student drivers to display parking decals and obey traffic laws. It also limits student vehicles to the school's north parking lot and designated areas. Another section lists the disciplinary actions that school officials can take if traffic/parking rules are not followed. Student autos and motorcycles are liable for towing without notice if the vehicle is not registered with the school. School officials also list the penalties for first through fourth violations of parking rules and driving. Having a vehicle towed without notice at the owner's expense from a school parking lot is the only sanction listed for a fourth violation of the rules. An initial violation has the student moving the vehicle and given a first warning. The student may also receive a tardy penalty and parents are notified. A second violation requires moving the vehicle, parent notification, and the student receives three hours of detention. A third violation has penalties of in-school suspensions and loss of access to school parking lots. The public comment sessions during school board meetings are typically held during the first half of the meetings. The Madison School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday in the new science wing at the high school. The board members will conduct the meeting in the new chemistry classroom on the south side of the addition.
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