Dear Parents and Families,
I am sending out a message to all our families in hopes of raising more awareness on the importance of safety when parking and driving around our schools. We all know parking is horrible and I do understand the frustration of not being able to find a spot without parking a mile away and you may be rushing to get your child to school on time, however I want to remind you all that our children are worth the small sacrifice of walking a little or coming a little earlier to find parking.
I personally stand with a sign after school on Hycrest everyday helping children cross the street and making sure they get to their rides safely but like most of you I work and can’t make it in the mornings so I do what I can and it is only 1⁄2 hour a day but I know children are crossing the street safely. I even have my friend Ella (a student from Sperling) handing out a letter she wrote to parents asking for them to park appropriately and be aware.
Although Ella is helping, I am hoping to get some more volunteer parents to help cross in the mornings and afternoons on Hycrest (By the teachers parking lot and by the stop sign closest by Sperling) and on Adair (3 Parents). What this would require is for you to come 15 minutes early and stay 15 minutes after the children are in school or after school.
I have had many parents and children thank me for keeping them safe but if this isn’t enough one of our own Sperling children was hit by a car on the corner of Sperling and Hycrest in the morning and I have been made aware that a couple of other Sperling children were almost struck by a car on Adair when a car was speeding in a school zone.
I am not sure what else to do but to reach out to all of you and remind you to please drive with care, slow down, no U-turns where children are crossing or back up where you might not be able to see them. I know this seems like common sense to some, but I have seen it and it worries me and I think we need to stand up and let them know it’s not safe.
I don’t want my children to have a memory of seeing a friend get hurt or worse when it is something we can prevent. I talked to a Sperling dad who is a fire fighter and he mentioned that getting hit by a car is a common occurrence but let’s not make it common at our school.
Also, if you can volunteer some time to come out and help (I know it is not the best job in the world) but all we want is our children to be safe.
Please contact me if you are interested and remind yourselves that when you are driving always be aware and keep the children’s safety in mind.
Thank you,
Kelly Zecca (PAC Chair)
Check out the linked page for more information on Sperling Traffic Safety & the “Walking Sidewalk”