TOP STORY OF THE DAY: Drive Anything to School Day Just a Little Illegal
Northview High School students who chose to participate in an informal prank, “Drive Anything to School Day,” on Friday, were not cited by police, unlike rumors that were listed on the Facebook group Brazil Chatter.
The students did hear from police and school officials, about regulations on driving ATVs, side-by-sides and motorcycles to school, along with bringing tractors and horses.
Chris Mock, principal at Northview High School, said about 25 students probably participated, though he was out that day.
He got a call Friday morning that the unplanned event was happening.
“My whole take is, anytime the seniors want to do something along those lines, let me know ahead of time,” Mock said. “If we can do it safely, that is always my biggest concern.”
The school contacted the Clay County Sheriff’s Department about the vehicles Friday morning, said Chief Deputy Josh Clarke.
Clarke said he and another deputy arrived to direct traffic in the afternoon, to avoid a safety problem.
“That ordeal was not a school function, the kids chose to do that on their own,” he said.
He listed several potential legal and safety issues: four-wheelers driving illegally on state highways, riders without helmets and traffic problems.
“Our biggest concern was them trying to leave with oncoming traffic and congestion,” Clarke said, adding that traffic is heavy in the afternoons, unlike the morning.
Clay Community Schools Superintendent Jeff Fritz said it was not an official school event.
Fritz said that, at the end of the day, kids who rode four-wheelers were asked to come down, so they could be warned. The horses were there only an hour of so, in the morning, he said.
Clay City High School holds a similar event, Fritz said, sort of an end-of-year, rites of passage event.
“From our end, the schools did not make a big deal out of it,” he said.
Clarke said that the concerns come down to operating within the law. For instance, there are no prohibitions against tractors operating on the road.
“Again, the whole process was done for the safety of the kids,” Clarke said. “No student was stopped or cited.”