Are Drones Allowed on School Grounds?

Today, almost every modern school use drones for the purpose of educating and analyzing sports activities. But this frequent use of drones also carries with it a great responsibility. Sometimes you find yourself tempted to take some good photos above the school playground or just fly a drone above school ground, but you are not sure if it’s allowed?

So Are Drones Allowed on School Grounds? It depends on whether or not your drone has a camera. If your drone has a camera that can record videos or take pictures, then it is not allowed to use the drone over the school ground or around the school. Therefore, it is illegal to use drones that have cameras on the school grounds.

The Abuse of Drones Over School Grounds

As much as drones in education have advantages, there are some dark sides also. The thing that almost every parent fears is that drones could be used for bad purposes such as taking pictures and filming their children. Taking pictures of children without permission is a very serious misdemeanor, and distributing them may endanger the privacy of that child. This issue certainly needs to be addressed and appropriate laws need to be enacted that will severely sanction such use of drones. Some states, such as the Louisiana, have solved this problem by classifying such an act as a crime. I think the only way to put an end to this kind of thing is to impose harsher penalties in order to understand the severity of this situation. Such cases could become more common in the near future unless the law changes.

No Fly Zone For Drones Above Schools

Today, when a drone can be purchase almost everywhere and their operating requires almost no prior knowledge, the main question is safety. But what you need to know is that drones that have cameras, should not be used for taking pictures or for filming near any school ground or park. Failure to comply with these rules may result in a fine or imprisonment. The fines are usually quite high, amounting to about $ 2,000, and preferably up to 6 months in prison. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that drones should by no means be used near school playgrounds, regardless of whether you have good intentions or a project you are working on. As for the US, these rules are very strict and are familiar to almost every drone user. If you want to learn more about drones and the rules, this is a book I recommend: Drones (The Ultimate Guide) from Amazon.

Flying a Drone Without Camera on School Playground

We have emphasized before that you should never use a drone near airports, military complexes, stadiums, power plants and places where there are a bunch of people. But what you also need to know is that the use of drones with cameras is also prohibited above school playgrounds. If you use a mini drone, or remove the camera from your drone, then you have the right to fly above the school playground, but it would be advisable to seek permission from the school above which you would fly. Large states in America such as Portland have a total ban on flying through school yards.

This was enacted to eliminate the possibility of protecting children from the potential drone fall both on them and on the object itself. There are always institutions that you can contact if you are not sure if you are allowed to fly in some territory or not. You also have the option of installing the „NATS Drone Assist“ app on your mobile device, with which you can view all no-fly zones.

Drones in High School Sports

Drones, in addition to being used for recreational and professional purposes, have also become widely used in sports. In terms of professional sports, drones have become an important aspect for recording competitions, such as snowboarding, golf, extreme sports, F1 and NASCAR. But when it comes to high school sports, drones are also used to record studies and subsequently analyze student videos, thereby improving their motor skills. Quite a few football teams also use drones for the purpose of improving the game and for making short video clips that are later incorporated into some promotional material. Therefore, we can say that drones are very widely used in the school system, for improvement and education and thus follow the latest trends.

Safe Use Of Drones In School Practices

One of the essential things to do before you start using your drone is to determine where all the local schools in your area. So you will be aware that near you is the school grounds and you will avoid yourself from committing a criminal offense. This is the best way to be sure that you will not commit any offense. So as long as you plan and use your drone wisely, you will have no problems. Also, if someone in your family or one of your friends uses the drone as well, it would be advisable to familiarize them with the law.

Most of today’s schools have large outdoor playgrounds in their complex that are ideal for drone flying, but now that you are familiar with the law you know that it is not legal. Therefore, it is much better to go to a public park or on your own yard and use it for recreational purposes. However, if you do not have a camera on your drone then you are allowed to use the drone above the school playground, but you will have to explain it and show it to the police.

Why School Should Teach Drones

The digitalization of students according to the new technology is increasingly on the rise; everything from smartphones, tablets, headsets, VR glasses and stuff like that. But what is not yet so developed among the students are drones that are slowly conquering the world with their popularity. Drones are used almost everywhere today; from taking aerial photography, agriculture, technology, police, filmography, journalism, espionage, etc.

What drones can give children at school is a whole new dimension of opportunities with whom they could develop a very great interest. A lot of people get turned away from STEM projects, because they think it’s all about the math or they have a bad experience with the science class. Therefore, it is for this reason that drones are the ideal thing that students need from an early age.

The Future Use of Drones

Drones or UAVs are used via remote control. Of course, there are more advanced drones that use artificial intelligence and navigate themselves, but this is a separate topic and such drones are only used in the military for now. The drones range in size, from the small ones that fit in the palm to the extra large ones in the aircraft rank. Drones are used almost everywhere today, and they fill our skies everyday for things such as aerial photography, drone mapping, video making, agriculture, and many other things. Drones are also used to locate fires, for rescue and search missions. Laws are changing daily as far as drones are concerned, and their use takes on a whole new dimension. We certainly have a bright future ahead of us, where these small aircraft will be able to do a bunch of new jobs and thus accelerate things in our daily lives. If you are interested look at: 10 Ways Drones Will Be Used in The Future

FAA Rules For Drone Registration

The FAA is a major institution closely associated with the use of aircrafts and drones. All drones weighing more than 0.55 kg under the new law must be registered by the FAA. Drone registration can be performed for anyone over the age of 16 and undergoes the tests and training required to obtain the same license. The application can be filled in through the Internet portal and as a result a certificate called “Fly sUAS in part 107” can be obtained. If you want to get a drone FAA license, this is the manual I recommend to get: Drone FAA 107 License Study Guide. It helped me pass all the exams and it is very simple to use.

Therefore, students 16 years of age or older can operate drones with much less restrictions, but adhere to the specific rules applicable to these models. Students can also operate the drone even though they are not licensed if the drone owner is next to them, and that owner have the licence under the FAA rules.

Creating a Policy For Schools

Aside from all the good things we’ve listed that drones can do, there are some downsides to things like damaging the property, privacy, and injury to people. Therefore, the following rules should be made and followed to keep things in order:

• It must be ensured that drone policies are complied with the law and country of residence. Examples of these policies may be, such as flights over stadiums, airports, and similar events by the FAA. Drone pilots must obtain approval to use drones from airport towers and fly outside the radius of 5 miles of the airport.
• Specify exact drone models that can be used over the school property and strictly abide by these rules. Columbia University has a law in place where all drones that are used must be owned by them. Strict sanctions should also be provided if these rules are not followed.
• Define the altitude of the drone, the weight of the drone and its speed. And that kids and professors on campus need to be notified or know when someone is using the drone at that point.