Hunting Season Brings Reminder for Griebling Parents

A year after the Griebling School community was put on alert following reports of gunshots in the area Principal Nancy Rupp sent a letter home to parents in the event more gunshots should be heard near the school.

Rupp said the gunshots heard last year came from hunters in nearby fields, and with bird hunting season starting on Saturday there may be more instances in the future. Goose hunting typically takes place between sunrise and 9 a.m. which is in the window of when staff and students arrive at the building according to the principal.

Even with hunting in the area Rupp said the district has been assured by the Howell Township Police Department that the school is not in danger. “We were reminded by law, hunters are required to stay the legal distance away from school property lines,” she said in the letter. It was reported last year that the “Safety Zone” for school buildings and playgrounds is 450 feet for firearms. The zone for bowhunters is 150 feet for buildings and 450 feet for playgrounds.

The Griebling principal said she was sending the letter to parents “to be proactive and inform parents that we can expect that we may once again hear shots in the distance during next week and again from mid-December through mid-January.”