(WXYZ) — The transition from summer to the school year can be a very stressful time for parents and students, and we want to help.
The drop-off line is just one of the things that can cause stress, and if you've ever waited in that line, you know the struggle. It can quickly turn into a traffic jam, but there are some simple ways to keep things moving.
When I tlaked to parents about dropping off or picking up their kids, I found that every school has a different protocol and every parent has a different opinion.
Kim Cox called pick-ups "a little hectic" at Ibister Elementary school.
"It’s not my favorite part of the day," Cox said.
“We pick up and drop off, and it’s getting even earlier this year. So, I think we’re all not looking forward to that, but it’s also picking up later, so we’re all looking forward to that," Dani Krach told us.
Parents of children at different schools iN Canton Township said there's always room for improvement at the end of th eday, and at the beginning.
“Some children don’t understand the concept of getting dropped off at the door and then leaving without parents, you know, going in with them, but other than that, I think it’s really efficient," Chadir Sobh said.
"I think anytime there’s been any hiccups with the process, that the administration knows and is alerted of that, and so they work really responsibly and quickly to smooth out any rough edges and make sure the kids are safe," Vanessa Jackson told us.
"The first week, I was like, we have to take action on this to make sure everybody’s going to be safe," Dave Turill, the principal at Tonda Elementary, said.
When ehhestepped into the role nine years ago, Turill tells me the drop-off and pick-up process was in need of streamliningn
"So, this loop was always here, but they actually had three different lanes of cars, and students would walk across the lanes to get to the cars, and I just didn’t feel that was safe," he said.
He then took the concerns to the community.
“When I first started, there wasn’t a lot of organization. So, I pulled a panel together of families, staff, and some students, and we did a little bit of analysis of what would be an appropriate workflow," Turrill said.
The result? Tonda Elementary's loop goes down to one lane in the morning with a drop-off point clearly marked.
Turrill explains he sends out emails insuring ahead of the first ups that they become part of the routine.
