The rubberized tracks at Leon and Chiles High Schools belonged to everyone for about a year. Before sunrise, early risers laced up. In the evening heat, retirees strolled around. The lanes were used as a second home by the Tallahassee Zoom, a youth running club. This week, that arrangement came to an end—quietly at first, then loudly.
Leon County Schools announced on social media on Thursday morning that all of the district’s high school track and field facilities would be closed to the public “for the foreseeable future” as of Saturday, June 20. No chronology. No date for reopening. Simply put, it was a declaration that enough had gone wrong to warrant closing the gates.
Garbage, wear and tear, and sometimes outright damage were listed as the causes in the original post. Strangely, the district then removed that explanation from the post after editing it. Although it’s a minor detail, it’s the kind of thing that raises suspicions rather than reassures people. Speaking to local reporters afterward, Superintendent Rocky Hanna didn’t hold back when discussing specifics, including damage to the track surface itself and, more bluntly, people urinating against the buildings when restrooms were locked. It’s not a picture that’s easy to walk away from, nor is it flattering.
Here, there’s a pattern worth observing. These tracks have closed before. They were previously closed, reopened in September of last year with new security cameras designed to prevent precisely this kind of abuse, and are now closed once more less than a year later. It appears that cameras don’t stop people from leaving trash behind or deteriorating a surface that wasn’t designed for unsupervised, year-round foot traffic. People’s current anger stems in part from the fix’s failure to address anything.
The backlash came quickly. Within forty minutes, a district Facebook post received over 150 likes and dozens of comments, the majority of which were negative. A former candidate for school board accused the district of engaging in a well-known pattern of opening things up just long enough to appear responsive, then pulling them back when issues arise, punishing everyone rather than the real culprits. In these disputes, tax dollars are always brought up by other commenters, and for good reason. Public schools are located on public property and are maintained by individuals who may never visit a classroom.
However, not everyone agreed with the critics. Many commenters strongly supported the district, stating that public space entails public responsibility and that a few irresponsible individuals shouldn’t be allowed to ruin it for no one. Parks, swimming pools, and libraries are examples of shared resources that are strained by the worst behavior of a small number of users.
The practical question is more pressing than the philosophical one for Quinn Brumfield and the Zoom Track Club. Track training requires a track, not a side street or a treadmill. According to the club, moving to Florida A&M’s facilities under an existing agreement is more of a workaround than a solution. In simpler terms, Chantel Pierce, a mother of two LCS students, stated that although her children did not cause this, they are the ones who are no longer able to access a location that kept them engaged.
The district’s ability to find a middle ground, such as staffed hours or more stringent regulations, rather than another all-or-nothing swing, will likely determine what happens next. This film has previously been seen in Tallahassee. The conclusion of this version is simply unclear at this point.
