It’s January 2016 and we have started the second half of the school year. Before we know it, we will be in the summer months again. As we begin the second half of the school year, I wanted to talk about your children’s drop off and pick up routine.
Every day I see parents around schools dropping off and picking up their children. As we all know, it is usually quite hectic. Lately though, I’ve seen a practice that is a great concern to me as I patrol the schools. Many school site principals have also seen this practice and voiced their concerns. What is it? It is the practice in the morning of parents letting their children out of their vehicles in the middle of the street, or dropping them off across the street from the school. The children then run in between cars to the school site. In the afternoon, parents call to their children to load them in the middle of the street or run across the street in between cars to load and leave the area.
This practice may save mom or dad some time, but it is really putting your children in danger.
It’s not worth it to save a few minutes of time and make it more convenient for you. Your little ones are so small and hard to see in amongst the school traffic. Cars outweigh them by thousands of pounds. Things are so hectic and parents driving around the schools are on cell phones, looking for their own children, and distracted in so many other ways. Please, seriously reconsider your morning and afternoon routines, especially when it comes to the small children at the elementary schools. Take another look at the traffic management plan your school site sent home to you with your child’s registration materials. If you cannot find it, pick one up at the front office. Every school has a written plan for drop off and pick up. These plans are well thought out and work great if parents will look at them and follow the printed instructions.
As always, if your schedule permits it, try to arrive 20-25 minutes prior to school starting instead of 10-15 minutes early. The gates are open and staff is on campus for the safety of your children. You will see a drastic difference in the amount of traffic and be in and out with your child safely on the school site with no stress for you or your kids.
Thanks in advance for helping the Murrieta Police Department and your school site staff keep your children safe as the come to and leave from their schools.
The Murrieta Police Department employees sincerely appreciate all the support you give us throughout the year. This is an awesome community. We enjoy living here and consider it an honor to serve all the citizens of Murrieta in our chosen profession of Law Enforcement. I welcome your questions and suggestions for future articles and can be contacted directly at the Murrieta Police Department at 951-461-6302 or jfroboese@murrieta.org.
