OT: Need ideas for kids getting to/from school safely

[tinkermom23]

OK, I am at my wits end and I need help!
We live in a small town (pop. 315) which has no stop lights and no law enforcement (other than county which is of no help for this issue. ) The school is K-12. It is a good school and I am a graduate from here.

Here's my problem. I have complained many times about the in-town elementary students safety and was told that I need to come up with ideas and they will apply for a grant. They may just be trying to shut me up, but I'm gonna try anyway.

Even though it is a small town, there is a HUGE amount of vehicle traffic before and after school. After school there are 6th graders as crossing guards but they are not very good.

How do your kids get to and from school? Do you have special procedures for drivers dropping off kids? Do you have adult crossing guards? Do you have in-town buses? What does your school do? Any ideas???

THANKS SO MUCH!!!

 

[mjkacmom]

Well, small town (3 miles), but large population (27,000), and we have crossing guards at major intersections. They got rid of about 1/2 a few years ago, for budget reasons, and because so many parents drive their kids to school (my kids walk, cross 3 streets, the major one with lots of traffic and city busses have an adult paid guard). We lost the guards at the intersections with traffic lights, and people were angry.

We have no school busses, because we have 5 elementary schools, and the JH and HS are in the center of town, so the longest walk/ride would be 1 1/2 miles.

Our tax money pays for the guards, and they had a company come out a few years ago, for a traffic study, and they determined that many of the guards were not needed. Needless to say, parents were not happy.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

At my son's school, parents need to bring their children to the back of the school and drop them off on the sidewalk. There is at least one adult on the sidewalk that makes sure the kids stay on the sidewalk and get to the back door. If you have younger children, you can walk them to the back door and there are teachers or helpers there to walk them to their class (parents are not allowed to walk in the school in the morning).

When I was in school, the crossing guards were responsible high school students who volunteered (2 at each stop). Maybe that could be an option for your school??

 

[hroyale]

My school got a grant to hire a firm to do a traffic study and make recomendations. The grant will also pay for one of the recomendations. We're getting the report next week.

But...it took four years from the application of the grant to getting the report.

Best of luck.
Heather

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Our school has one parking designated for parent drop-offs. You can only drive in one-way and when you get to the front of the line, they have 5th graders who open your car door and help your kids out. These kids are trained by the city police department and have specific safety rules to follow (my 5th grader just went through the training). There is always a teacher at the curb to supervise the kids. You can drive through to pick-up your kids in the same area but there are no helpers out afterschool.

There is also plenty of street parking. If you park on the street, you are required to walk your child to the sidewalk. You are not allowed to send them across the street by themselves (unless they're in the crosswalk) and you're not allowed to call them from across the street.