The state Department of Education says it has received “a number of complaints” about pet owners bringing their dogs onto school property after school hours.

“Schools, particularly in the Castle-Kahuku and Kailua-Kalaheo complex areas (in Windward Oahu), have seen an increase in dog waste on schoolyards,” Lea Albert, the complex area superintendent for Castle-Kahuku, said in a press release Wednesday. “Some of our schools are being used as a dog park.”

Yikes! Sounds like a mess.

In fact, Albert says, schoolyards are “actively used” by students and adults for educational, recreational and athletic purposes.

“It’s important that our community help us ensure that our campuses are a healthy and safe environment,” she adds.

All DOE schools have signs posted that indicate pets are prohibited on the campuses, and the DOE “kindly asks” pet owners who have been walking their dogs on campuses to obey the signs.