SMSD Police to issue trespassing citations to violators of social distancing guidelines on school grounds

The Shawnee Mission School District announced on April 1 that starting April 2 the SMSD police will begin issuing trespassing citations to those who violate social distancing guidelines at district stadiums and athletic facilities. 

According to the district, these guidelines include remaining six feet apart from any non-family individual, restricting groups of people to 10 and prohibiting team sports. 

“These guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are designed to minimize the potential for additional transmission of the [corona]virus,” SMSD wrote to parents via email. 

This followed the district’s March 26 announcement which closed playgrounds and limited groups on school grounds to 10 or fewer. 

“Groups have to be under 10 in order to meet the stay at home order from the governor,” Principal Scott Sherman said on Saturday. “If someone is infected with the virus, we would not want it to spread to the community.”

In conjunction with the district’s March 26 announcement, Sherman sent out an email asking for students to be respectful of residents who live nearby East. This was prompted by a complaint issued to the district by a resident who said that a group of students’ “bass music rattled their windows.”

“Prairie Village Police frequently patrol the school grounds and will break up large groups that are not meeting the guidelines of less than 10 in a group,” Sherman said on Saturday.

Local police presence will backup SMSD police in enforcing the April 1 guidelines on school grounds as well, according to Prairie Village Police Detective Seth Meyer.

For sophomore Max Wilson who has been using East’s field to play soccer, the new rule prohibiting team sports presents new challenges.

“It’s going to be a lot harder for me to practice in my backyard just because there’s not as much space and obviously turf is better to practice on,” Wilson said. 

Even so, he believes that the guidelines are necessary in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

“The SMSD is committed to keeping our community safe,” the district wrote via email. “These guidelines only work if ALL of us adhere to them, and unfortunately, that is not happening.”