The fence line bordering the west side of Pioneer Valley High School and 25 private residences will remain as is after a majority of the homeowners rejected the school district’s offer to build a fence to keep students from passing through the properties.
In October the Santa Maria High School district sent the homeowners a letter offering to install an 8-foot-high chain-link fence that would span 1,900 feet along the west perimeter of the school. The fence was estimated to cost $80,000, which would be paid for by the district, according to district Public Information Officer Kenny Klein.
Klein said the district had received complaints about students climbing the neighbors’ fences and damaging yards since the school opened in 2004.
On Nov. 19 the district sent out a letter to the 25 homeowners explaining that it would not be installing the fence because the district officials had received 15 votes against the fence and only 10 in favor of it.
“The situation will continue to be monitored, and if any issues develop that affect student safety or the security of the school, the district may revisit the need for fencing in this area,” Reese Thompson, director of facilities and operations for the district said in the letter.
Klein said that currently the school resource officer keeps tabs on that side of the school as part of the officer’s rounds.
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 3, 2015.
