School officials said the main reason the fence was put up was to replace an old one that was there years ago and had deteriorated. The fence delineates the property line between the school and Wilber Park, which is owned by the city. The fencing has a gate at one end and marks a second entrance to the campus that would be used in an emergency. Oneonta High School Principal Scott Rabeler said the fence will help prevent trash from blowing into the park and is also supposed to move students who smoke off school property. Students who want to light up often head to one end of the student parking lot and step over the property line into the park, where they can smoke and not get in trouble.
Smoking is forbidden on school grounds.
Rabeler said the fence has not locked anybody out or in. Its construction was part of the district's regular maintenance schedule. The fence is not a new idea. A group of high school students interviewed Thursday said they didn't see the point of the fence or what, if any, problems it solves. The students said the school could have better spent funds used to build the fence on educational needs of the district.