Tiburon OKs drone restrictions
Tiburon has passed a law restricting drone use near public schools, after an incident at an elementary school in the spring raised security and privacy concerns.
An unidentified drone was spotted hovering above the front parking lot of Reed Elementary during lunchtime on March 21. That prompted Reed Union School District Superintendent Nancy Lynch and School Board president AJ Brady to ask the the Town Council to consider an ordinance that would place restrictions on drone flights over school campuses. School officials didn’t know the identity or intentions of the drone operator, the letter said.
The idea received support from the Town Council, and the ordinance was passed unanimously at a meeting last month.
The new law bans drones for being
A March incident at Reed Elementary School prompted Tiburon’s council to enact restrictions on drone use above schools.
operated on or less than 400 feet above public school grounds in Tiburon during school hours or events without the permission of school officials. It also says drone operators cannot use a drone to intentionally record or take photos of public school grounds during school hours or events, unless they have permission.
The ordinance also bans drone use while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and places restrictions on drone flights near public events and police, fire and emergency response activities in the town.
During the public hearing, Lynch thanked the council for giving serious consideration to the issue of drones near schools.
“(It’s) just something that helps protect us and gives the chief and the department the authority to respond when something happens,” she said at the meeting.
Local governments are increasingly enacting restrictions on drones over certain types of airspace. Within California, the Los Angeles County cities of Calabasas and Hermosa Beach have also enacted some limitations on the use of drones near schools. In Sutter County, the Yuba City Unified School District suspended drone use during the previous school year.