PA Code, Chapter 447, Hazardous Walking Routes UPDATED - Timmy has spoken

I know that parents are outraged over the archery that will take place starting this Saturday and will end late January 2016. Steve Feller's letter to Tim Steinhauer states:

No hunting will take place on school safe-walking routes. Only police officers certified for the program will hunt on public property.

And then goes on to say:

Several groups of private properties will be used for hunting. Theses properties were thoroughly vetted, and hunters will follow the rules of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Are the private properties on school safe-walking routes? Parents ask, "How is this permitted?" Well, it's not.  Please Google PA Code, Chapter 447, Hazardous Walking Routes. 

I maintain that every street in Mt. Lebanon has been charted on safe walking routes. (You have to be able to get from here to there.) 

From the School District website:

Safe Walking

The Mt. Lebanon School District is a walking school district. Student safe walking awareness is reviewed annually with the assistance of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department (MLPD). In addition to reinforcing safe walking rules with students at the beginning of the school year, the MLPD has established Safe Walking Routes for each elementary school. Please review these routes with your child throughout the school year.   Safe Walking Routes The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, along with the Mt. Lebanon Police Department and Juvenile Protection has formulated the following walking routes.  These routes are recommended safe walking routes according to pedestrian and vehicle laws of the Commonwealth of PA.  The walking routes are all encompassing not simply for routes to each elementary school.  They were designed to be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  These routes will show the safest area to walk on the street as well as the safest place to cross every street and crossing guard locations.  The routes will take you to a signalized intersection with a stop sign or traffic signal making it easier to cross.  For students in elementary school, locate your school map and find your address.  You may then follow the blue arrows to the school.  The reverse would be done for walking home.  For students in middle and high school, locate the elementary school map where you live and follow that towards your school and onto the next elementary school map where the middle or high school is located. Because the maps are all encompassing for safety, all walking routes will follow a street or sidewalk.  Pathways and cut through stairs have been eliminated as safe walking routes. Foster Elementary School Walking Route Hoover Elementary School Walking Route Howe Elementary School Walking Route Jefferson Elementary School Walking Route Lincoln Elementary School Walking Route Markham Elementary School Walking Route Washington Elementary School Walking Route From an attorney:

Let’s first only review it for the purposes of the district’s safe walking routes in the context of the archery kill. (After a cursory review, I suspect that some of the MTSLD safe walking routes are in question, even without the deer kill.) Chapter 447 creates guidelines for determining if a school student walking route along a public highway (I think that means all thru streets) is hazardous. Now, the section specifically defines hazardous as an unsafe condition caused by “POTENTIAL incompatibility between vehicles and school students.” My contention is that a kid may want to walk to school on the other side of the street (against crosswalk regs) or may be expected to walk or run into the street once s/he discovers that the walking route is adjacent to a public or private killing site, or may run into the street if s/he sees an arrow fly or encounters a dead or dying deer on the safe walking route. All of those scenarios subject students to traffic perils. 

A review/study of the safe walking routes WILL be conducted ONLY IF requested by the school district. Chapter 447 of the PA Code states that “if changes occur in the condition of a walking route that was previously inspected, a re-evaluation of the route may be requested (again, only by the school district).

Dr. Steinhauer needs to be convinced that he should immediately request that the appropriate PA engineering district conduct a safe walking route analysis or reanalysis of the potential for kid/vehicle dangers caused by private and public archery hunting grounds in Mt. Lebanon, for a deer kill that will occur during the daylight, at least five days a week, for a period of over four months. Dr. Steinhauer will be required to send a copy of his request for the study to the municipality.

September 17, 2015 6:31 PM From John Bendel at 6:05 PM: "Our public works department will be putting signs up tomorrow. First, in the public areas where hunting is permitted and then in the other parks where hunting is not."

From the Mt. Lebanon website: Deer Management Update (September 17, 2015)
At a public meeting on September 8, 2015, the Mt. Lebanon Commission authorized a Deer Management Program archery management program. For additional information please read our Frequently Asked Questions related to deer management. Also available for review is the notification sent to the School District regarding Deer Management.

September 18, 2015 5:18 PM Timmy has spoken.

From: Dr. Timothy Steinhauer <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 4:11 PM
To:
Cc: 'Stephen Feller'

Dear 

The School District and Municipality share the same priority for student safety. I have discussed safe student travel to and from school with the Municipal Manager and Chief of Police. I was assured that hunters would adhere to the rules established by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the hunters were aware of the safe-walking routes. In Mr. Feller’s letter he stated that no hunting would take place on school safe-walking routes. For your information, safe-walking routes are provided by the MLPD and are posted at http://www.mtlsd.org/parents/safewalkingroutes.asp  The precautions hunters will be taking while hunting on public property were noted in his letter.

All of the parents, principals, faculty, and staff were alerted to this upcoming event. In addition to the school’s role, parents always play an important part in directing his/her child to practice safe behavior when walking to and from school.

For questions about the specifics of the deer management program, you may contact the municipality’s Keith McGill at 412-343-3684, kmcgill@mtlebanon.org. For immediate safety concerns you should call 911.

Timothy J. Steinhauer, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Mt. Lebanon School District

412-344-2076

Update September 18, 2015 5:37 PM Further correspondence from an angry parent in response to Timmy's letter.

From:
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 4:19 PM
To: 'Dr. Timothy Steinhauer' <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Cc: 'sfeller@mtlebanon.org' <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>
Subject: RE: Deer Killing During School Hours

Tim---

It appears from your email that you and the muni do share the same view of student safety. That’s too bad for our school kids.

You may want to take a look at the Pa Code, Chapter 447. Hazardous Walking Routes. It is part of PA school law. I already know of certain streets where the archery hunt will directly conflict with the safe-walking routes. Steve Feller knows those streets, as well.

Angry parent

From: Angry parent
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2015 5:25 PM
To: 'Dr. Timothy Steinhauer' <TSteinhauer@mtlsd.net>
Cc: 'sfeller@mtlebanon.org' <sfeller@mtlebanon.org>
Subject: RE: Deer Killing During School Hours

One more thing, Tim. I realize the role that parents play in the kids’ safety. Obviously. I wouldn’t be making a big stink here if I didn’t.  Your statement below about the parents’ role in safety tells me that you do not have a grasp of a crucial issue. The municipality, with whom you share a safety bond, is unlawfully withholding the locations of the private properties on which our tax dollars are paying for the muni to kill deer with crossbows.

Perhaps you can tell me how I can direct my child to practice safe behavior when I do not know the locations at which he will be in heightened peril. I’m at a loss.

Thank you.

Angry parent