I ask for your help to slow down and follow the rules when picking up and dropping off students at STMA schools. The procedures are in place to ensure student safety!
The safety procedures for student drop off and pick up are based upon the expertise of law enforcement officials and traffic experts in consideration of the physical space and design of our schools. They do not always expedite traffic as quickly as drivers may prefer but they are safe if drivers follow them, drive safely and are respectful of others.
This year changes were made in the traffic pattern at Middle School West. Some of the current changes were focused primarily on student safety as well as traffic entering and exiting our property. The current design routes traffic to the back of Middle School West and is designed to let students off and pick them up directly at the curb. Student safety is our primary concern. All students should enter their parent’s vehicle and exit from the car door directly to the curb. The design is focused on students not crossing a lane of traffic.
Secondly, we focused on moving traffic off of 50th street. As vehicles enter and exit our property, we found that visibility at the entrance and exit to our east lot was blocked by traffic both in the turn lane from the west and on the road from the east. Due to the passing lane for traffic on westbound traffic, these cars were accelerating to the posted speed limit of 45mph, meaning an error in judgment or lack of visibility exiting the parking lot would potentially cause an accident. By moving a majority of morning drop-off traffic from the road, our goal was to increase this visibility and reduce the difficulty in exiting. We are unfortunately unable to control the overall volume of traffic using 50th street, which sometimes delays vehicles from exiting our parking lot.
Also, we moved our entire bus parking lot as another priority so cars and buses are not mixed. This change also means not having students exiting the bus and crossing any lane of traffic. We believe this is safer for students, parents, and bus drivers. The buses now are routed through the east parking lot and students enter our school at doors H and I.
Please follow the directions of school staff, School Resource Officers and law enforcement officials. Drop off and pick up children only at designated areas in order to avoid students walking among moving vehicles. Slow down, follow safe driving rules and respect other drivers. Help us keep our children safe.
Dr. James Behle
Superintendent – St. Michael-Albertville School District