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Nikiski residents seek expansion of student ATV policy

People ride all-terrain vehicles to advocate for changes to Nikiski Middle/High School's student transportation policies on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.
Ashlyn O'Hara
People ride all-terrain vehicles to advocate for changes to Nikiski Middle/High School's student transportation policies on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.

It’s not uncommon for students in Alaska to use unconventional modes of transportation to get to school. In some districts, students may get flown in or brought by boat. Even on the road system though, some parents say cars aren’t always the best option. One group in Nikiski wants more students to be able to ride nontraditional vehicles to school.

People ride all-terrain vehicles to advocate for changes to Nikiski Middle/High School's student transportation policies on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.
Ashlyn O'Hara
People ride all-terrain vehicles to advocate for changes to Nikiski Middle/High School's student transportation policies on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.

Saturday is Nikiski Middle/High School’s first home football game of the season. Students and parents roll into the parking lot, clad in black and teal, and ready to spend the evening cheering on the Bulldogs.

But for one group of parents and community members, the game is also about making a statement.

As the game starts, the grumbling sound of several dozen engines emerges from over the hill near the front of the school.

Then comes the throng of all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and Polaris Rangers. They drive single file, some affixed with posters reading “let freedom ride” and “no barriers.”

The group is calling on Nikiski Middle/High School to change its policy about which students may ride all purpose vehicles to school.

Misty Peterkin organized Saturday’s ride. She says her interest in the issue stems from an incident involving her son last year.

People ride all-terrain vehicles to advocate for changes to Nikiski Middle/High School's student transportation policies on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.
Ashlyn O'Hara
People ride all-terrain vehicles to advocate for changes to Nikiski Middle/High School's student transportation policies on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.

“I sent my son to one of the football games here on a four wheeler,” she said. “He's 14, and the principal said that, you know, you can't come back here again on your four wheeler. It's not permitted.”

Currently, the school’s student handbook says students who ride ATV’s, utility terrain vehicles or motorcycles to school must be at least 16 years old, have the appropriate license and be registered and insured. Unlicensed snow machines, four-wheelers or motorcycles are not allowed on the campus.

Before this school year, though, students weren’t allowed to ride those types of vehicles to school at all. The community successfully lobbied the school for a policy that would allow students to ride nontraditional vehicles to school. Now, students riding those vehicles in compliance with state law have designated spaces in the school parking lot. That’s as compared to last year, when those vehicles had to be parked off school property.

Superintendent Clayton Holland said Tuesday that the district fully backs the school’s policy change. He said the district isn’t able to adopt a policy that covers all 42 schools, and that Nikiski Principal Michael Crane made a “bold decision” by allowing ATVs in the school parking lot.

“I think he took a big step,” Holland said. “He listened to folks. It's not exactly what everybody wanted, but, you know, it's a change. And the only, you know, I've checked around the states, and when it comes to roadside school districts and large schools, I think it's the only school that's actually allowing this to happen in any capacity.”

SIgnage designates ATV student parking at Niksiki Middle/High School on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.
Ashlyn O'Hara
SIgnage designates ATV student parking at Niksiki Middle/High School on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.

Peterkin and others, though, say the policy doesn’t go far enough.

State law requires people operating an all-purpose vehicle to hold a valid driver’s license, follow standard titling and registration procedures, carry insurance and equip the vehicle with certain safety equipment, like lights and brakes.

Peterkin wants to see the school embrace a less restrictive license type for students. Out of Saturday’s ride, she says she wants the policy loosened immediately, to take effect for the school year that starts Wednesday.

“This is a way of living in Nikiski,” she said. “We ride all over. We've taught our kids from early on about safety, helmets, be respectful. And I want the kids to have an opportunity to come to the school here.”

Back at the school, Saturday’s cohort eventually makes their way down to the football field, ready to root for the bulldogs — after parking their vehicles in the special section of the school’s parking lot.

All-terrain vehicles are parked in a designated section of the Nikiski Middle/High School lot on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.
Ashlyn O'Hara
All-terrain vehicles are parked in a designated section of the Nikiski Middle/High School lot on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024 in Nikiski, Alaska.

Prior to joining KDLL's news team in May 2024, O'Hara spent nearly four years reporting for the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai. Before that, she was a freelance reporter for The New York Times, a statehouse reporter for the Columbia Missourian and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. You can reach her at aohara@kdll.org