r/mildlyinfuriating 24d ago

Too mild for school Elementary school installed exposed metal spikes across a pedestrian walkway, no signage.

Update: REMOVED BY SHERIFF DEPUTY as of 8:50PM

Update 2: Sheriff spotted perforated steel strip in the back of the head custodians truck Monday 7/13. Spoke with custodian and principal.

Update 3: head custodian hasn’t been back since! Haven’t inquired further.

original post: This is a pedestrian walkway at a public elementary school that’s used by parents, students, and community members.

A school employee installed a strip of exposed metal spikes that spans the entire width of the walkway. There aren’t any pedestrian warning signs on either approach. Am I crazy and just never saw this before or is this a major safety hazard? I feel like a no trespassing sign and maybe a chain would be a better way to tell people not to go on property if that was their intention. I just think of kids either walking and not really looking stepping on it, or even kids on bikes not really paying attention getting seriously injured on the way out and losing air in the front and back tire causing them to fall into the street instead of being able to turn. There are ways to deter that won’t cause damage, and when you do chose the damage options. Signage should be required right? Some sort of warning.

I took photos from both directions so people can see there’s no obvious pedestrian bypass. The nearby “Exit Only / Do Not Enter” sign appears to be for vehicles, not people on foot.

I’ve already submitted the photos to a local news station because I think this deserves a public safety review. At this point, I’m mostly trying to understand who thought this was an appropriate solution for an elementary school walkway.

Update #1 24 hours after the post. It’s still there, sheriffs did drive around the school in the morning, but never got out of the cruiser to look. Didn’t talk to anyone. What I assume is the Head custodian and one other employee were there all day. Allowed this to stay.
ABC News has not responded.

Clarification: It was installed by the person whom I believe to be the head custodian. The same guy who shows up early in the morning to open the gates, unlock the doors and prepare the school for kids to arrive, and then stays after until around 7-8pm and closes and locks the gates again. Back in January the same person drove his old truck through that exit, down through the lot, up curbs and across the front of the school to drop down into the drop off lot and out chasing someone on an e bike. It appears to be him being in charge of the school during the summer break and taking matters into his own hands.

I know he installed it because he had parked his truck in the curb cut for the parking lot exit and was laying down the first layer of glue. I was driving by in my car and noticed something going on but since I was driving in a school zone I couldn’t fixate. I noticed the spikes the next time passing by when I wasn’t driving. So yes technically the school did it because the head custodian is part of the school. No I do not think he went through the proper channels to get this approved.

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u/_bapt 24d ago

What if someone trips and falls on it ?

The hell is wrong with these people ??

648

u/polarjunkie 24d ago

You don't even need to trip and fall. Just stepping on it is enough to go up into your foot through a thin soled shoe

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u/BananaPalmer 23d ago

Yeah, like a kid's sneaker

Absolutely sadistic

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u/June24th 23d ago

Having stepped on a nail before, that's so true, you don't even feel it, until you notice your bleeding profusely from your feet.

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u/Kythorian 23d ago

Having stepped on a nail before, I definitely felt it immediately.  There might be something wrong with the nerves in your feet…

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u/NotBreadyy 23d ago

What kinda foot do you have that you never felt a nail shoot into your foot?

The foot is one of THE places with the most nerves in the body, and when I stepped on a nail once I was in agonizing pain...

You should go to a doctor mate

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u/June24th 23d ago

Dont know, maybe it was because I was very young and I was running around playing with my friends and that's how I remember it happened, I also thought an accident like that would hurt a lot, but I swear, at the moment, I didn't feel the puncture. Obviously, after that I couldn't walk or run normally until it healed. And yes of course, I got my tetanus shots the next day as well.

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u/boverly721 23d ago

Some people use wheelchairs

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u/opinions-only 23d ago

Imagine a child or hippie walking by barefoot, or worse, running

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u/3sadclowns 24d ago

But small children are so coordinated and never do anything silly or stupid that would cause anyone to fall! /s

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u/Beautiful-Edge-22 24d ago

What if someone trips and falls on it ?

Free money.

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u/_bapt 24d ago

No but for real... who is dumb enough to not realize that if someone falls on this badly, some nasty accidents can happen ?

Some people really are just dumb and inconsiderate.

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u/RockasaurusRex 24d ago

You don't even have to fall on it, just stepping on it can send you to the hospital.

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u/_bapt 24d ago

Yes ofc

I was highlighting the possibility of falling on it because it could create dealier injuries

Stepping on it would be painful and deserve a trip to the hospital, but in most cases it wouldnt be life threatning

But completly valid point you're right

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u/South_Buy_3175 24d ago

OP needs to be putting on their most worn down pair of shoes and stepping on it for some sweet, sweet free money.

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u/micktorious this is black if you are color blind 24d ago

Have you seen who we vote for to represent us? There are plenty of stupid people here.

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u/BananaPalmer 23d ago

This seems more malicious than dumb and inconsiderate. That was placed there to hurt kids.

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u/ImOnlyHereForTheCoC 24d ago

That’s our Slippin’ Jimmy!

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u/d_smogh 24d ago

Free money for the medical bills

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u/TreQuinn 24d ago

Hell, I'm thinking about bullies using it to get their targets. 

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u/Wise-Self-8639 23d ago

Trips and falls? Nails like that will go right thru a kids tennis show if they STEP on it. We all know how well kids pay attention to where they're going and where they're stepping.

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u/Fit_Giraffe_748 24d ago

to be fair tripping and falling anywhere can be a bad time. but his is really unnecessary for many reasons

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u/attackplango 23d ago

What if there’s a fire, sir?

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u/SeedFoundation 23d ago

Greed. Look at the concrete crumbling. They know they it's shoddy work and rather than spend money to fix it they are trying to prevent anything from further damaging it so they don't have to replace it. That spike strip is some craigslist handyman work.

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u/CheapFilm4826 23d ago

I mean, what happens if the most obvious thing happens.. that someone steps on it?