I don’t see much of a problem myself so long as it’s actually for safety purposes and not just for detainment purposes at a normal school.

The elementary and middle school I went to had fencing to keep people out of backyards and the street, and a gully in the case of elementary school. Reasonable. Keeps minors safe just in case a car came by if a kid went to grab a ball they accidentally launched into the street or they decide to explore the fully and fall over and hurt themselves because little kids are good at disappearing and hurting themselves, I swear.

High school? Absolutely no idea why the football field had a fence other than keeping people off the property, which was connected to a park.

My immediate answer was yeah why not, but then I read the comments about prison fences and realised I was missing some American specific context. The fence’s at my schools were waist high with open gates. They were more of a boundary marker than anything else.

Sure, otherwise the inmates classmates might escape.

My schools were fenced in. Nothing threatening or intimidating, it was just chain link with a gate somewhere along it. Keeps the troublesome kids from running off, makes sure everyone can hear the bell, keeps weirdos from coming in during school. And when the school is right next to a forest, that’s just sensible.

Depends. I went to a exurb elementary school and it didn’t need a fence - walk through the woods until you get bored. However I’ve also seen schools where there is a busy road nearby and they need something to stop the kids that would run that way. (older kids would not, but very young will run without looking and a few special needs kids have no sense of what is safe)

I like a fence. But if you’re going to do it, don’t make it look like a damn prison. Whatever happened to a nice brick wall with some pointy ironwork on top of it? It serves the same function as a fence topped in razor wire. But it provides that function without making the place look like a prison. I know it’s way more expensive than a chain link fence. But damn. What is the value of the damage done to the souls of all the students that have to go to school behind razor wire. All schools should be surrounded by big brick walls with pointy bits of cast iron on them. Now it’s classy and doesn’t feel like the fucking state penitentiary.

I’m on the fence about it.

I see no reason not to.

Yay.

They fenced my son’s school this summer. Previously it was only the playground and field that was fenced. New fence is 4 ft high, no gates, just gaps at walk ways.

At first I was unhappy about it, feeling that it cut the school off from the community. But then my son and I arrived early one day and had his soccer ball, we were able to really play on a lawn that would have been too small without a fence. So I can see that the fence creates more usable space for the school. And I’ve come around.

The school I went to for years one through six here in Sweden had a mostly fenced yard, it was a large yard, with football fields, a grass field, several swing sets, a zip line, exposed sewer pipes, wooded areas, stone staircases and more.

It had a low fence that had several unguarded entrences/exists that were completely open, there was no control of if any student left the yard, but it very seldom happened.

In years 7 through 9, we had no school yard as sutch, sure, there was a small, mostly paved area that belonged to the school and was a yard, but no real fencing.

In year 10 through 13 “gymnasiet” there was zero fencing, and no one cared if you left the school area on your breaks.

its sad really. the school system was supposed to sorta act as a public space. sorta like community colleges. kids in the day and adults at night. modern world is so messed up though.

Just put a big sports ground in the back. That tends to have a fence anyways. You can leave the front an open area with buildings to each side. That’ll provide another barrier without looking like a prison.

An interesting game to play when driving around the US is “Prison, or School?”

The rules are simple. When driving past any complex with tall fences, quickly blurt out if it’s a prison or school. Then look for signage or check a map application to verify.

You’d be surprised how often you’ll get the answer wrong.

Yes, and barbed wire, Czech hedgehogs, guard towers with snipers.

Jokes aside apart from preventing a ball flying into traffic during recess what are we trying to achieve?