Geocaches by schools

[floridabiker1]

How far away does a cache need to be from a school or school property?

[+T.D.M.22]

Depends. A cache is more likely to be placed closer to a college or highschool than a school with grades 1-3. Also depends on your reviewer. I've seen caches placed on high school property on a football field.(Where adults walking around wouldn't be suspicious) Yet if it was placed on a playground at a school with grade 1 and 2 a lone adult might cause alarm. Best is to ask your reviewer-some may go with what I have said(From experience both hiding and finding caches) or some may not publish at a school at all.

[+CanadianRockies]

It's best to discuss this issue with your Volunteer Reviewer. From what I understand, caches usually can be placed on public college/university campuses without explicit permission (as long as they aren't explicitly prohibited by the school). On other school properties, you generally need explicit permission to place a geocache on the property or in a location off school property that might arouse suspicion if someone lingered.

[+NeverSummer]

It's best to discuss this issue with your Volunteer Reviewer.

 

^This

 

Generally speaking, the guidelines mention that school grounds(elementary, middle and high schools) are off limits. However, here in Alaska, some schools are also the community center or hub of activity for the community. In these cases--always addressed clearly in the description and in notes to the Reviewer during publication process--the grounds would be visited regularly by some that are not associated with the school; they would not raise suspicion if they came to a school yard at 11am and looked in some bushes.

 

Now, all of these caches, with permissions or not, are sensitive areas. They should be treated with respect, and understanding that they might need to be removed if they are bringing bad attention to geocaching, or raising suspicions with parents, teachers, staff, or community members.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

It certainly does depend on things aside from being a school.

There are a great many geocaches on college and university properties -- they are schools.

 

Just because a location is school property, in and of itself, is not reason to negate placement of a cache. Other things must be taken into consideration. Foremost is whether or not the cache placement would or could be problematic (geocaching aspect) OR permission issues (school administration aspect).

 

As school violence seems to be on the increase (not just in the U.S., either), it is extremely important to consider the fact that a cache placement elicits visits by folk that would not normally be at or in close proximity to (primary) schools. Such would only invite trouble of one kind or another.

 

 

That said, there are many schools (for all ages) where students and teachers alike are geocachers. There are caches placed by school staff and classes. I foresee the possibility of school grounds being closed off to geocaching -- period.

[Keystone]

It certainly does depend on things aside from being a school.

There are a great many geocaches on college and university properties -- they are schools.

The old guidelines said "elementary and secondary schools" for the many years since I wrote that addition to the rulebook. Now it just says "schools," but the understanding continues to be that colleges and universities are not subject to the same level of scrutiny.

 

There are caches placed by school staff and classes. I foresee the possibility of school grounds being closed off to geocaching -- period.

You may be right. Many reviewers have stepped up the proof of permission requirements for school-sponsored caches ("did you tell security? What's the name and email address of the person who granted permission?"). Some ask "are you SURE you want to do this?" There's a temptation to just say "no."

 

My current rule of thumb is unchanged: If a hovering helicopter parent or renegade rent-a-cop can see you while you're searching for the cache and they are on school grounds, it's too close. In some situations this could mean "150 feet away" because that view is blocked by a neighboring building. In other cases, I've turned down caches a quarter mile away from the building, because of a clear line of sight across flat athletic fields.

[floridabiker1]

By schools I mean public schools owned by the government. I went to a geocaching workshop and the coordinator said the two places where caches are automatically not allowed are schools and national parks.

[+NeverSummer]

By schools I mean public schools owned by the government. I went to a geocaching workshop and the coordinator said the two places where caches are automatically not allowed are schools and national parks.

And US Fish and Wildlife National Wildlife Refuges.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

By schools I mean public schools owned by the government. I went to a geocaching workshop and the coordinator said the two places where caches are automatically not allowed are schools and national parks.

And US Fish and Wildlife National Wildlife Refuges.

... and designated Wilderness Areas.

 

Edit to add "designated".

Edited January 19, 2013 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+T.D.M.22]

By schools I mean public schools owned by the government. I went to a geocaching workshop and the coordinator said the two places where caches are automatically not allowed are schools and national parks.

 

Make that American National parks. Us Canadian like to hide caches to, eh. And I'm not sure but I think the only national authority to ban geocaches is the National Forest Service.(Unless they run the parks...)

[Keystone]

Let's stick to talking about schools. If someone wants to open a thread about the positive changes in US National Parks' views on geocaching, it would make for a good discussion.

[+wmpastor]

Here's another point. Don't just think of "how close can I place it and still get it approved?" Think of the comfort level of the cachers. Some cachers will not want to do caches in settings where there is a chance that someone will consider them suspicious. It's stressful to have to explain geocaching to a police officer, as I can imagine, having heard this from two nearby cachers.

[+SwineFlew]

I used to had a cache behind a high school in a small city park. Its all depend on the location near a school.

[+Don_J]

I guess the generic answer would be: far enough away from the school where it won't cause concern. That can mean whatever you want it to.

 

I personally will not look for a cache if it is in the line of sight of a school, (meaning a school that has school children, not adult students), while school is in progress, and I would NEVER hide one in such a location. In Southern California, we had three "lockdowns" last week because of "suspicious" or possibly "unauthorized" visitors in or around public schools. I'm sure that none were geocachers, but why mess with things when everyone is obviously at a heightened state of awareness?

 

Every time someone asks this question, I remind myself that not every place needs a cache.

[+Planet]

I live in Connecticut. One town over from Sandy Hook. Our reviewer has asked us all to please consider disabling or archiving any caches that are very close to schools, in light of what happened. I don't hear anyone complaining yet.

The cache at the Sandy Hook Fire House was disabled by the (firefighter) CO immediately (as soon as he could get home. He was on the job for three days straight when it happened.)

Even children's playground hides are not a good idea.

[AZcachemeister]

I guess the generic answer would be: far enough away from the school where it won't cause concern.

 

That's the first thought that came into my mind.

 

A couple of years ago a cache appeared on an elementary school field.

I went into the office and asked the principal about it. He didn't know anything. We couldn't get in contact with the after-shool program director who had placed the cache with some students. The principal did give me some valuable information though:

 

In Arizona, school grounds (the athletic fields) are considered to be public parks after school hours.

 

Despite this, I don't think I'll be placing any caches on school grounds.

In addition, most of the schools around here have public parks directly adjacent to the grounds, and people put caches in them all the time.

 

EDITED: for speeling

Edited January 19, 2013 by AZcachemeister

[+brekkcaching123]

What I would say, If it is for a class project, I would recommend doing it where students are not allowed to go during recess for an elementary school.

IF it is on an elementary school playground, soccer field, etc, that cache may not be published without hard questioning from your reviewer.

If it was around a football field at a high school, it is more likely to be published.

[Keystone]

An interesting 10 year thread resurrection.  I disagree with the bump post and would point back at the discussion from 2013 for better advice.  If anything, in the USA it's become uniformly more difficult to place a cache on or near school grounds, including their associated athletic facilities.

[+JL_HSTRE]

If you can see a K-12 school (public or private) or a playground (even in a public park) from GZ then the location is too close.

 

The widespread use of smartphones with good cameras combined with geocachers using smartphones as their GPS device has made things worse. Too many parents are worried any adult by themselves within sight of children is trying to take photographs for illicit purposes.

[+ThatDevRaven]

I have a geocache near a school here's what I've done to help it not be muggled: 

Added Bell Times to the description

 

 I check this geocache alot 

 

 

[+GeoTrekker26]

2 hours ago, ThatDevRaven said:

I have a geocache near a school here's what I've done to help it not be muggled: 

Added Bell Times to the description

Proximity issues with a cache to a school have nothing to cache safety. It has everything to do with student safety. 

[+Team Canary]

Out of sight of the school and playground and the associated parents.

 

Is there really something interesting to show the finder, or is it just another empty spot on the map?

[+Mysterion604]

While I would never hide a cache at a school (too much potential for it to go missing), I even encountered problems when putting the posted (no cache actually there) location outside a school, or even having a path for a multi which was likely to take the person through school grounds between clues. Strangers hanging around school grounds raises too many suspicions.  Although I must say that it is not always consistently applied. One cache I know is literally right behind the field of my old junior high school / middle school, yet just putting fake posted coordinates for a puzzle cache outside my old senior high school was not allowed. Did sidewalk by entrance versus playing field make the difference? I do not know.

 

I think as a general rule, one city block away should be safe for a hide.