I have seen the very high fence go up near the parking lot and sidewalk and wondered what we were trying to keep out. My daughter attends RCES and walks to school right by this area and I feel that I am in the dark. How can I get the information about this? My neighbor across from the school called me regarding the same, her children are younger, thinking that I had received some kind of notice from the school. I had not.

thank you. Karen Palman

-- Karen A. Palman (gkp79@md.freei.net), February 17, 2000

Answers

Response to Rachel Carson E.S.

Karen, I attended a PTA meeting some time ago where this was discussed. I'll tell you what I heard then. Apparently, the fence is to keep kids on the path and prevent them from crossing through the woods to get to and from the Orchards neighborhood. There was some concern about a group of older kids that were loitering and perhaps participating in some questionable activity along the edge of that neighborhood. So, for security, the school system agreed to put up the fence to prevent the younger kids from walking through the woods and encountering these older kids or others who may be in the woods. This PTA meeting was soon after the time of the "Kentlands stalker" early in the school year. I guess it was thought that the woods were an easy cover for potential "predators".

-- Jeanette Wolken (jlwolken@yahoo.com), February 17, 2000.

Children living in the Orchards were cutting through the woods instead of taking the paved path when walking to and from school. The Orchards community was concerned about safety for their children. This was a topic at a PTA meeting. The city of Gaithersburg and Montgomery County Public Schools worked jointly on a decision to place a fence which would serve as a reminder for students to use the path and not cut through the woods.

-- Laura Hart Silkwood (laura_silkwood@fc.mcps.k12.md.us), February 24, 2000.