Skateboard ban prompts student petition

A Calgary high school has banned skateboards from the property, upsetting hundreds of students who have signed a petition.

The principal from St. Francis High School wasn’t available for an interview, but Catholic school board spokeswoman Janet Sutherland said safety concerns were behind the decision.

"There is a district-wide policy that states that skateboards cannot be used on school property and some schools have gone a step further to make it their policy that skateboards cannot be brought to school," she said.

Liza-Jane Karieter, a Grade 12 student, said a skateboard cuts her commute by a third.

"It's fun just to go down hills and just go extremely fast, and if you fall off, then whatever, you fall off, you get back up and do it again."

Students who skateboard said the rule singles them out since it doesn't apply to bikes or inline skates.

"We're troublemakers or whatever you want to call them," Karieter said. "I don't think it should be like that."

John Maitland, a Grade 12 student, said he isn’t allowed to even bring his skateboard into the school and put it in his locker.

"The rule is you're not allowed to take it in and put it under your arm because it's a weapon," he said. "All I want is so that I can be able to pick it up and put it in my locker, so that I can go to school faster and leave school faster, even if they just made amendments to the rule."

The students have a petition with more than 800 names, but Sutherland says the policy is not up for review.

"They're in place for a reason so students may not like the policy, but it is there for their safety," she said.