CLOSED CAMPUS POLICY & PROCEDURES

In order to maintain a high level of safety and security, the NA School Board adopted the “Closed Campus” policy in February 2021, which prohibits unauthorized visitors to access the District properties during the hours of 7:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday on days when school is in session, or during an evening or weekend event such as a dance, school play, or sporting event or practice when such action is deemed to serve the interest of the students and staff's safety and security.

During the school year, between 7:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, all District visitors must have a pre-scheduled appointment with District personnel, scheduled or recurrent business (USPS, UPS, contracted vendors) or a legitimate purpose for accessing school grounds, such as a parent/guardian picking up or dropping off a student or an item for a student, attending a District activity, performance, or athletic event.

Effective August 22, 2022, the North Allegheny School District will prohibit all non-school-related activities from being conducted on District grounds during the hours listed above. Examples of these activities include but are not limited to:

• Casual Pedestrian traffic (walking, jogging, animal walking, cutting through District Property as a “shortcut”).
• Operation of any vehicle, whether self-propelled or motor driven, including but not limited to skateboard, scooter, bicycle, inline skates, motor bike, etc.

Entry onto and/or the use of all District athletic fields and facilities, courts, trails, playgrounds, and all other recreational areas is prohibited. If athletic fields are being used after school hours for games or practice, permission will NOT be granted for people to be on the fields or run on the athletic tracks surrounding the fields while student-athletes and their coaching staff are using the fields.

Refusal to leave or stay away as directed will be considered trespassing and shall be reported by the administrators or their designees to the proper law enforcement authorities.

A person shall be guilty of the crime of trespass if a person or persons are found on North Allegheny School District property without lawful purpose or authorization.

DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this Policy, the words set out in this section shall have the following meanings:

1. “Actual attendance at an event” means inside a North Allegheny school-owned area for which admittance fees are required, or if attendance fees are not required, that area inside which a fee would have been required had the school district determined to charge for admittance.
2. “School property” means that property which is owned by the North Allegheny School District.
3. “Student” means a person of school age who is duly enrolled in the North Allegheny School District and is not currently under suspension from attendance at classes of said district.
4. “Recreational area” means those areas established by the North Allegheny School District for use in non-school hours for recreational activities including, but not limited to, basketball, tennis, baseball, and soccer.

LAWFUL PURPOSE OR AUTHORIZATION

“Lawful purpose or authorization” shall be defined as follows:    

1. A student assigned to the school at which he or she is found within one-half hour before or one-half hour of official school hours as set by the school district.
2. If said student is engaged in athletic or other extracurricular events sponsored by the school, then said student shall have 45 minutes after the close of such event to leave the premises.
3. If a nonstudent, other than a parent of a student, is on the premises for the purpose of delivering a student or picking up a student from school or from an event as described in subsection B of this section, said nonstudent must have the permission of the parent or guardian of said student to pick up the student; the time period for this nonstudent to be on school property is 15 minutes prior to and 15 minutes after school hours and/or extracurricular activities; in addition, a nonstudent, other than a parent or guardian of a student, shall not be present on school property during lunch or recess periods;
4. In the event that the extracurricular activity, such as sporting events, concerts, dances, etc., permits nonstudents to attend, then the nonstudents may remain on the premises involved only and must depart within 15 minutes after the end of such event;
5. To be included in the interpretation of lawful purpose or authorization for extracurricular events, the nonstudent must be in actual attendance of the event; actual attendance does not permit gathering in parking lots or other school areas adjacent to buildings or stadiums during the activity; persons not in actual attendance at an event but on school property will be deemed to be trespassing.
6. In all cases a nonstudent will be guilty of trespass if said person fails to leave the school property after being ordered to do so by an authorized individual.

POSTING OF NOTICES

The North Allegheny School District will post signs on our property which notify any person of the Closed Campus and will state that anyone that does not have any school business or delivery of an item or drop off or pick up of a student will be in violation of this policy.

RECREATIONAL AREAS EXCEPTED

Those students and nonstudents who are making recreational use of the areas designated by the North Allegheny School District as recreational areas outside school hours whose conduct is otherwise lawful will not be deemed to be trespassing.

VIOLATION—PENALTY

Violation of this chapter shall be a misdemeanor and punishable as set forth in the Pennsylvania State Statute SS3503 – “Criminal Trespass” and defined as a “Defiant Trespasser”

DEFIANT TRESPASSER

1. A person commits an offense if, knowing that he is not licensed or privileged to do so, he enters or remains in any place as to which notice against trespass is given by:
   1. actual communication to the actor;
   2. posting in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders;
   3. fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to exclude intruders;
   4. notices posted in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the person's attention at each entrance of school grounds that visitors are prohibited without authorization from a designated school, center or program official;
   5. an actual communication to the actor to leave school grounds as communicated by a school, center or program official, employee or agent or a law enforcement officer;