DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP PROCEDURES

In the aftermath of the tragic accident at St. Francis de Sales School in the fall of 2017, we spent quite a bit of time re-evaluating our own traffic patterns and procedures in an effort to ensure that all students are as safe as possible during morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal.  We had multiple meetings with the Fairlawn Police Department to help us determine what would best help us achieve this goal.  After extensive consideration, we implemented new drop-off procedures effective January 3, 2018 and these procedures remain in effect.  They are outlined below. 

DROP-OFF PROCEDURES
The following procedures will be in place during morning drop-off:

·         Students may exit vehicles only when vehicles are in the marked drop-off zones on either side of the building.

·         Students may exit vehicles only from the passenger side due to moving traffic on the driver side of vehicles dropping off students.  You may need to adjust car seat placement.

·         On the parking lot side of the building, the cross-walk area must remain clear for pedestrian crossing.  This is NOT a drop-off zone.

·         On the parking lot side of the building, the area near the fire hydrant and the church sidewalk are NOT drop-off zones.

·         On the Moorfield Road side of the building, after students exit vehicles, they should walk closest to the grass, not the street.

·         Please instruct your child that once he or she exits the vehicle, he or she may not return to it for any reason.  If an item is forgotten in the car, he or she may go directly to the office for assistance in promptly contacting the driver who dropped him or her off.  If an item is dropped or a car door is not closed, a staff member on duty will assist.

·         During drop-off and pick-up times, we are a CELL PHONE – FREE CAMPUS.  Please refrain from using your cell phone in your vehicle during this time.

·         If you find these procedures to be cumbersome, please remember that you always have the option of parking your car and walking your child to the building.  Students are not permitted to walk from the parking lot to the building alone.

·         Cooperation with these procedures and with our staff members on duty is expected and appreciated.

PLEASE NOTE!!  IN ADDITION TO THESE PROCEDURES, in response to input from concerned parents who have witnessed unsafe driving behavior during our drop-off and pick-up times, several meetings were held during the summer to further evaluate what can be done to reinforce the priority of keeping everyone safe.  To that end, the following additional steps will be taken beginning August 26, 2019:

·         Striping and directional arrows on the parking lot have been re-painted to be more visible.  A few more arrows have been added to help clarify directional flow in the parking lot.  An extended crosswalk by Horning Hall and a designated area for students to walk from the lunchroom to the sidewalk on their way to recess have also been marked on the pavement.  Please pay attention to these markings when driving on our campus.

·         A no parking zone in front of the church office doors has been marked with paint.  This is the same area that was previously marked with cones and is prohibited for parking.  Please do not park in this marked area.

·         A large red box has been painted on the back parking lot to help designate the area that will help keep parents and students safe during pick-up.  We will be asking parents to stay in the designated red box (there will be cones at the corners) while they are waiting for their children to exit the building at the end of the day.  There will be no parking in this area.  Parents and students must stay in the designated area until they are ready to walk to their cars together.  We will also be adding staff members to help monitor this area after school.  We want to increase safety awareness in this area as many parents talk to one another and are not monitoring their children when cars are backing out and exiting the back parking lot.

THESE PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR CHILDREN!   THANK YOU FOR PARTNERING WITH US TO MAKE THE SAFETY OF YOUR CHILDREN A PRIORITY!