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Amid honking
horns, fist
shaking, screeching brakes, darting children and aisles of mini vans,
the
drop off areas of our schools have become the latest target of public
outcry.
The issue of child safety is being sacrificed for flaming expressions
of
our need for speed in the latest craze - car pool rage.
It was
suggested on a
local radio station this week that parents are the problem. Our
children
have become even more spoiled as evidenced by the growing numbers of
parents
driving their precious cargo to school daily rather than building
character
by expecting them to walk in any weather. Couple this with that same
parent's
need to arrive at work in a timely fashion and you get the irate,
screaming,
short-cut seeking drivers forcing these innocents to confront moving
vehicles
and their chauffeur's wrath simultaneously. What a way to start a day:
frightened, both physically and mentally. What kind of role models
these
young parrots are observing and learning from. Disaster threatens on
all
fronts.
Similar
issues, thankfully,
have been addressed, passed and enforced over the last five years at
our
elementary school. The results are now practiced at all four 'rush
hours'
and are still being reviewed and perfected. All it took was a couple of
concerned parents with a few ideas to present to the proper committee
and
the change process began. The evolution may have seemed slow, but the
accumulative
affects have noticeably improved the goals of both speed and
safety.
- The
initial
step taken was
the installation of swing gates at the junior school entry way. No
longer
could any vehicle enter the parking circle after 3:00 pm (one half hour
before grades 1 - 8 finished). This meant that the parking lot at the
church
across the street was fully utilized. Parents of the JK and SK students
must cross the street to collect their children at the now protected
entrance.
Students dismissed from the rear door and circling the building could
exit
the property with less fear of potentially dangerous pushing and
shoving
along the narrow sidewalk. But the morning congestion had yet to be
addressed.
- Introducing
a
volunteer run
"Kiss and Ride" program. Two parents attend the drop off area outside
the
JK/SK doors for a minimum of 15 minutes before the school bell
indicates
commencement. They open car doors closest the sidewalk, assist in
unbuckling
seat belts if necessary, extend a cheery 'good morning' to the driver
and
kids, and shut the door(s). No longer does a driver or child need to
exit
on the 'inside' of the traffic circle. The line of cars moves quickly
enough
to decrease the temptation to start a second, double parked lane. The
school
Safety Committee circulates the volunteer list early in the school year
and is responsible for designing an equitable rotation of these parents
and provide the service in the mornings and after lunch prior to the
afternoon
classes.
- In 1998 -
1999 school year,
the new principal instituted a shift of school hours from an 0900 start
to 0830 and corresponding finish times. Playground supervision also
followed
suit and had to be changed to 0800 - 0830. The original motivating
factor
was based on a study indicating that elementary children learn better
in
the morning. This meant radical family changes for some, but the half
hour
'head start' for working commuters has certainly eased some driving
tensions
and reduced before school care dilemmas.
- 1998 -
1999
also saw the
application of new school boundaries. The residential area that fed the
school population was reduced in order to fairly distribute students to
another brand new school facility. The results of this change not only
significantly reduced the number of attending students, but made it
possible
for the school to become a "bus- free" zone as all regular students
lived
within a one mile (1.6 Km) road radius. No longer were the school buses
blocking the main front entrance access while discharging or loading
students.
Cars could now use this narrow access way for dropping off older
students
not requiring assistance.
- The
monthly
school newsletter
sent home to all parents reminds drivers of the courtesy issues of the
Kiss and Ride program. The last one highlighted the need to make right
turns only from the junior school circle so as keep the cars moving out
as efficiently as possible.
- The
current proposal
of the addition of traffic lights to replace the cross walk was also
mentioned
in the minutes of the latest school council meeting. Just the thought
of
losing one of our school's most valuable assets, Jim, the crossing
guard,
makes me tearful. He diligently learns and practices every child's name
daily and the children respond so much more readily when their own name
prefaces any verbal direction!
- The
universal
antidote: car
pooling. Meet your neighbors and at least offer to take turns. You will
feel better for having tried to be part of the solution by reducing the
number of cars involved. The added benefit is that even if problems
persist
at the drop off zones, you only have to deal with them half the
time!
Our Kiss and Ride
volunteers are even better dressed this year thanks to a donation of
heavy
all weather coats to wear under their fluorescent vests. As they stand
between two neon orange zone cones, they certainly deserve a round of
applause
for their continued dedication. They are now identifying the next
generation
of safety recommendations, like seat belt and baby car seat compliance.
I'll have to wait for the next newsletter. Until then, I'll try to
recall
these words of wisdom...
"Anger is one
letter
short of danger." Eleanor Roosevelt and "If you can keep a pleasant,
cheery
outlook in all you do and say until 10:00 am, the rest of the day will
take care of itself." Unknown.
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