First day of school for my boys..... parking lot nightmare!!

[RitaZ.]

Today is the first day of school for my boys. My oldest DS started 5th grade at a new school. So I drove him to his school and DH drove DS#2 to his school. The parking lot was a nightmare!!!! It's usually like this the first day of school.... but the new school has about 300 more students than his old school.

I almost hit another car on the way out of the parking lot. First I let that car in ahead of me, then the driver decides to get in the left lane.... then she decides to get back in the right lane without warning. I slammed on the brakes twice!!!

I can't wait for pick-up time. Not only will the traffic be insane, but oldest DS gets out at 2:20 and youngest DS gets out at 2:30 at another school. I just don't know how this is going to work.... I was hoping that oldest DS would be eligible for bus trans., but we are less than 2 miles from the school. Car pooling isn't an option at this point, as I don't know anyone that would be willing to do it.

I guess I'm just venting...... Things should probably settle down by the end of the week.

 

[dizneenut]

Yikes! That is another reason why I am so glad my boys take the bus! Hope the traffic gets better as the week goes on.

 

[Doctor P]

Whoa!!! Hope the situation quickly improves. My DSD school can get that way at times.

 

[Mskanga]

I have my girls going to different schools too, not by choice though. That's why they ALWAYS come home on the school bus unless we have a doctor's appointment!

 

[cinlee3]

Try driving through the H.S. parking lot. I have to drop DS off and he likes to get there early. Partly because he doesn't want anyone to see him being dropped off by Mom, but also because he is afraid I will be run over.

I don't drive in the Middle School parking lot if I can avoid it. It's not bad if you drop kids off early in the morning but afternoons are a nightmare.

 

[Olaf]

I think it must be like this everywhere. What happened to the good ol'days when the county provided decent bus service?

 

[llp479]

My DDs started today. Our district provides the bus service. It was 30 minutes late this AM, so they were late for school, no big deal only a half day. However, they got out at 11:50AM and were home at 1:50PM. 2 hours later Now, they had breakfast at 7:45, and, the school gave them a bag of animal cookies around noon. Healthy lunch - NOT!

Needless to say, DH left a flaming VM for the superintendant. They opened a new school and evidently haven't worked out the kinks in the bus routes. Like you, driving them would be taking our lives in our hands - YIKES!

Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Maybe they'll be home an hour after school gets out. Then I could cancel after school care, seeing as I'd be home before them.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

We have busses but they give you a 45 minute waiting window for the first two weeks--"be at the bus stop between 8 and 8:45"!!! So I have DH take them and then they take the bus home.
We may lose bus service if our school levy fails in November, then it would be a real nightmare because so many more parents would be dropping off and picking up.
Robin M.

 

[RitaZ.]

Well, it took me an hour and 15 minutes (more or less) from the time I left the house, waited in line, picked up both boys at each school and finally arrived at home. The schools are no more than 5 minutes away from our house (opposite directions though). This time I waited in the car rider line which is totally separate from the parking lot. I couldn't do that this morning as DS didn't know where to wait for his teacher. I will be avoiding that parking lot like the plague!!

When I picked up DS#2, he didn't look so good. He got in the van and told me that he was so hot, maybe he was a bit dehydrated. I didn't even think about him standing out in this heat, I felt so bad. Tomorrow, he is taking a water bottle.

I guess we'll just have to plan and make the best of it.

llp479~ Poor kids! They must have been starving.

 

[Talking Hands]

It is the drop off situation that causes teachers and subs to arrive early as much as a hour. If we waited to be there just before classes start we would be so stressed out the kids would suffer.
BTW please if you drop your kids off early do not expect the teachers to supervise them. They aren't ours until the buses arrive or a specified time before school. We need the time before that to set up the classroom, get our minds in order and drink our morning cup of coffee.

 

[RitaZ.]

Lisa~ Both schools have made it clear that there isn't adult supervision until a certain time. If parents choose to drop their kids off early, it's at their own risk. I'm assuming it's probably the same way at most schools.

 

[Pete's Mom]

and sometimes it is faster to park beside the school and take him in myself!!

 

[Pooh93]

I can relate! Last week was a nightmare dropping my dd off! Our church is undergoing a building project which leaves even less parking space due to construction vehicles. Hang in there!

 

[Serena]

Oh BOY, can I relate!!! But I'm the fool out front trying to keep the kids from being ran over. All I've got is a little ole stop sign and believe me, that doesn't stop them from trying to go past me.
I've come close to being ran over twice.

I wish I could draw a picture of this nightmare, let me try.

s l.........................................lstreet....................................
t l.........................................l.............................................
r l.........................................l.............................................
e l.........................................l..............................................
e l---------------street---------me------------------------------
t l................l.....................................................l..................
...l........bus...l.....................................................l bus..........
...l.............../l\.................school........................\l/...............
...l................l......................................................l.................
...l................l......................................................l.................

(periods are spacers)

Okay, that's me smack dab in the middle. The buses go to the back and come out the front. They come and go from both directions.
The parents come from all directions. There is parking along the front on both sides. There is parking along the other street at the T as well.
There is no double parking allowed, or that's what I have to tell them every day. There isn't enough parking for everyone either.
So, we have buses, and cars coming from all directions wanting to go in all directions. Some even do U-turns in the middle of everything.
Then we have the children. Some are walkers, but a lot ride. So we have children in the middle of all this. Now, if the parents would actually do what they should and use the cross walk, use the curb when they can and not stop in the middle of the road, not drag their children in between cars in front of traffic, and not pull out in front of other traffic and buses, then it might work.

However, it hasn't happened yet.

Oh, and I forgot the cars parked in the bus drives, and or so close to the drives that the buses can't turn the corners to get into them.

And I do this twice a day. I need a vacation.