Sneaky paragraph
The West York Borough Council passed a daytime curfew ordinance for those under age 18 in the West York area. The public information showed the daytime curfew paragraph was eliminated from the revised proposal, as was done in North York and York City, and as was recommended by the Task Force. This ordinance is a surprise to those who read the revised proposal. How were people to come out and speak about this when the general public had NO idea a daytime curfew was going to be an issue?
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What are the exact rules and implications? Do we know how many children and young adults have a legal and civil right to be out during school hours? There are college students and those who graduate before age 18, students on work programs, adults who look younger than 18, children doing community projects, students on open-lunch, homeschoolers who are not tied to the public school hours, etc. I know there is an exemption for homeschoolers, and in theory, this should benefit my family. That is not the issue. They can still be stopped and questioned. BUT, this can happen without a daytime curfew because there are truancy laws already!
It has been stated that West York does not have a truancy problem. So why a daytime curfew? Other areas should be held accountable for their truancy problems.
This was sneaky...a paragraph added into the middle of the night curfew ordinance. My guess is that, other than by word-of-mouth, most West Yorkers don't know they could be cited if their children are out on their own sidewalk during school hours. ID papers anyone?
Kathy Gay
West Manchester Township
Rememeber though, peopel under the age of 18 can be out if they have permission. Nothing sneaky about that!
YDR, could you have thought of a different title? Maybe...Residents Lied To? The fact is, the final proposal shown to the public is not what was passed. Mr. Foreman, research done by a legal council shows many young people being harassed, or worse, even after having permission.