In the town I live in, there are 2 elementary schools. One of them is K-2 and the other is 3-4. The decision has been made to close the 3-4 school and combine it into the K-2 school. Big changes need to be made, and one of them is the pick up and drop off policies. They have already made a "temporary" change, but it will not work for next year. I am working on a proposal for the principal about possible solutions.

So, my question is this....what is your school's drop off and pick up policy? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it?

Any details you can give me would be great.

TIA!

Dawn

Mom to Samantha, Jeremy, Paige and Christian

Born 12/12/03 @ 31w 2d



http://lovinglifewithquads.blogspot.com

Our school is small so it might be comparing apples and oranges, but our policy is so smooth and efficient.

For drop off, the cars drive to the back of the school where kids can be dropped off right at the door. Parents usually stay for a second to see that they get in the school.

For pick up, it's the same area and the cars are all lined up and wind around the playground area. We're lucky that our teachers are outside with the children, grouping them in an order according to the cars in line.

No cars are allowed to pass another car at pick up or drop off.

It's all very methodical and well organized. It's not like the bell rings, the doors fly open and kids go racing out into the parking lot.

Our school has about 450 kids spread through K-8.

Drop off and pick up are similar. We have teachers outside to help guide for pick up but not drop off.

In front, cars parallel park and drop off or pick up. Once the front block fills up, there is a small parking lot across the street but the parents must walk over to pick up kids.

In back drop off, the cars form one line as they enter. Kids exit as they reach the front area. No cars can pass another! All cars exit to the right.

In back pick up, cars from 2 lines through the parking lot. One lines bends to the left, one to the right. The kids line up behing parking cones marked K, 1, 2, etc. in the playground area. (well the eight graders go over to a corner to talk but they are reponsible to watch for their parents themselves) As the cars reach the front of the playground area (about 3 fit in each direction) the teachers send the kids to the cars. The first few weeks are slow but quickly teachers learn the kids who go to each car and it moves fairly quickly. If there is a hold up (1 kids late getting out etc. ) that car has room to move over so the line can keep moving.

Obviously pick up is more hectic as everyone arrives at the same time. Most important is to ask parents NOT to exit the cars in the back (to avoid cars blocked while parents look for the kids) and not to call kids to their cars.

I would say we empty the lot in about 15 mins.

Our drop off.

PARK AND WALK
You can park and walk your kids to the door IF you find a parking space, which we have never had a problem with. You have to cross the parking lot in the same place the drop-off kids are crossing

DROP OFF
There are teachers and 6th grade safety patrols to help kids cross the bus lanes safely. Cars enter on the east side of the parking lot, wait in line, and exit on the west side. NO PASSING allowed. When you reach the front of the line, your kids hop out of the car and you leave as the teacher and/or safety patrols gets them across the bus lane.

Kids walking to school all have sidewalks right to the front of the building without crossing any parking lot/bus traffic.

PICK UP
All pick up/walk home kids exit from one door at the back of the building. Bus kids exit out the front to the busses. You can park on the street and walk through the pathway (about 1 block) to meet your kid at the back of the school OR you can arrive in the parking lot 10 minutes early and walk from there to the back of the school to meet your kid. The teachers (especially for those older than 1st or 2nd grade) just let the kids out the back....they do not try to match up kids with waiting parents. If you park in the lot, you have to arrive 10 minutes early as they close the lot to new cars while all the busses are exiting. You can't leave until the lot is open again, which is usually about 5 minutes after school lets out.

There are about 450 kids in our elementary (K-6) school. Believe it or not....the place is CLEARED OUT in under 10 minutes. Except for those of us who hang at the playground and talk while our kids play.

BBB born 7/26/04 at 35 weeks

We have a circle drive. For Drop off the teachers rotate duty. There are 2 teachers who help open doors and get the kids out and make sure they go inside, where they go to the assigned spot to wait for the bell. For pick up it works similarly. The kids sit on the sidewalk (covered porch) and the duty teachers help them into the cars. It runs very smoothly. Parents are not to park and go in unless they are going in for something anyway. No cell phone use is allowed in the car line either (not sure if that is effective though)

The bus line is in a different drive and the walkers leave via a different entrance.

I love the way it works - I don't drive often (they are bus riders) but it seems to go very smoothly once they get past the huge line of cars that for some reason, starts lining up a full HOUR before the end of school (would love to hear why people do that some day. LOL). From what I have seen they are pretty much done within 15 minutes of starting.

PS our school is pre-k through 3 with maybe 500 students. IMO a high percentage of parents do drive.

Kari S.

Mom to BBB 21, 18, 14
BBG 9/25/01

Wow...some of you have it so easy!

My trips are in fourth grade. We have a confusing schedule. I am a substitute teacher so my schedule fluctuates daily. On the days I work, my trips take the bus home to our si
tter’s house. On days I don't get called, I need to pick them up from school.

Our elementary school is huge. We are a K through 6 school with close to a thousand students. We are in upstate NY in a Blue Ribbon School District. Our procedure is a bit more involved than what most of you have shared.

We have to find a place to park ( not an easy task) then walk in the school, get a visitor's pass. Next, travel to the gold cafeteria (we have two cafeterias) and sign our children out in a log. We have to then show picture ID, before our kids are released to us.

I have to say we are a huge school and this procedure runs pretty efficiently. What they usually do is dismiss all the kids with "parent pick up" notes about five minutes early, to the cafeteria. The whole procedure, including parking, walking, signing out, presenting id, grabbing kids, and finally leaving takes less than ten minutes.

We also have two separate traffic circles, one for buses and one for drop off and pick up. Drop off is easy, we just drive up to curb and send them on their way...lol

Cindy, wow my sig line is so old
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Cindy
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