2009-05-23 StudentÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s bike ride earns punishment

2009-05-23 Andrew J. Bernstein The Saratogian \bicycling\authoritarianism\Saratoga Springs, NY\stupid rules http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/05/23/news/doc4a176696ca884152592474.txt Student’s bike ride earns punishment Student’s bike ride earns punishment  While hundreds of area workers pedaled their way to work last Friday as participants in the national Bike to Work Day, one woman and her son were scolded for breaking the rules.

Janette Kaddo Marino and her son, Adam, 12, wanted to participate in the commuting event, so the two set off to Maple Avenue Middle School on bicycles May 15. The two pedaled the 7 miles from their east side home, riding along a path that extends north from North Broadway straight onto school property.

After they arrived, mother and son were approached first by school security and then school administrators, who informed Marino that students are not permitted to ride their bikes to school.

"Unbeknownst to us there is a policy," she said, "but it wasn’t in any of the brochures given to us."

School officials took her son's bike and stored it in the boiler room. They told her she would have to return with a car to retrieve the bike later in the day. Commentary:
 * 2009-07-08 Biking, walking to school illegal in Saratoga Springs

''What I want to know is, what would the school have done if she had just said "No, you do not have permission to take my son's bicycle. I am on public property, and I have the right to lock my son's bike on public property, and he has the right to retrieve his own bicycle when the school day is over and ride it home because he has my permission to do so, and that is the only permission he needs when he is not in school."? ''

&ldquo;After they arrived, mother and son were approached first by school security and then school administrators, who informed Marino that students are not permitted to ride their bikes to school.&rdquo;   