Dear PoPville – Who is responsible for shoveling around schools?

“Dear PoPville,

If I’m not mistaken, DC has a poorly enforced law on the books stating that residents, business owners, etc, must shovel the sidewalks within 8 hours after snow stops falling. So that should apply to DC schools, too, right? Cardozo High School does a terrible job with this. In previous storms this year, they have made an effort to salt the sidewalks, but I observed none leading up to this most recent storm. Cardozo takes up an entire city block, and as of this 9:15 this morning, this is what the sidewalks looked like on the very steep hill on 13th. No attempt to shovel had been made, and the many pedestrians through the area had pounded the snow down to thick, dangerous ice. The same was true after Snowmageddon a few years ago. The ice stayed for forever, long after temperatures rose.

I’m a renter in a large building across the street from Cardozo, so maintenance staff handle the snow around where I live, but after digging out my car yesterday, I did shovel out the crosswalks/handicap ramps at 13th and Clifton. Shoveling more around Cardozo was just beyond my abilities. Do you know who I can contact at the school to urge them to take care of this?”