Friday Q & A
December 28, 2018
Hi Everyone,
I received the following email and wanted to share my response:
Happy Holidays,
I hope you are enjoying some much deserved downtime.
I have read with interest the Q&A series that was initiated this year—fantastic idea—kudos! Clearly, many of the inquiries are focused
on parking/transportation and next year’s planned rebuild. I purposely held off sending this email as I assumed more detailed answers would have been available by now. I can’t imagine how hard this process is for you, and I know KSE is largely at the mercy
of the county planners. That said, I (and many others, it seems) am concerned about the ongoing lack of information available to parents.
Back in August, I submitted an initial email to the King Springs Council (below). A couple of those concerns were touched on during the
construction meeting earlier this year as well as in the Q&As. But again, we are still largely in the dark. Continuing to put parents off (even unintentionally) only makes us more concerned that there are no answers, in spite of a conclusion that was
reached last year. We fully recognize that some sacrifice is required to make the building plan work. But what other options, if any, were considered? Transparency is critical.
In addition to those I posed to the Council, I would also welcome answers to the following questions.
1. How will lunch sessions at K-1 be managed? Will lunch be shortened or will class time be shortened? What about specials, which are
just as important?
2. As we all know, morning and afternoon carpool is already a nightmare. The line backs up onto Brown Road and any car trying to make
a left turn into the school is stuck and blocks incoming traffic from Concord Road. The outgoing light at Concord stays red and keeps both carpool lines from progressing. On one recent morning, I observed multiple cars go completely around those stopped (trying
to make a left into the school lot), which is hazardous for everyone. I see people cutting through the church and bank parking lots also. Even emphasizing earlier school arrival, how can we safely accommodate the second grade?
School buses alone cannot solve this problem—and there’s no room for the buses either! (There are many reasons parents cannot, or will
not, put their kids on the bus, especially at the younger ages.) Also, we already have a county driver shortage. So we have to assume there will be a big group of additional second-grade cars to accommodate. As much as I love the second carpool line
after 7:30, we still have folks who walk kids up to the front door. It's terrifying to watch them play Frogger.
Specifics are needed ASAP on the plan for carpool, etc.!
3. On a related note, how will all the additional cars (school events, parking, etc) be accommodated after hours? You have said, in response
to other questions about parking lot safety, that “it’s hard to change adult behavior.” So if we know this, wnat plan is there to recognize the challenges? Is there a plan to include construction information at the kindergarten camp and Sneak a Peek, so that
new families are not blindsided?
4. Is the K-1 campus legally zoned for all of this additional activity and people? Can you provide those regulations?
5. Please provide details on using Griffin’s gym for 3-5 graders. PE is essential, but I have a child at Griffin now and they already
tie up the gym all day. How will KSE be accommodated, and how will students get back and forth? What about bad weather days, when they still need movement?
6. What has the teacher feedback been on all of this? They are privy to concerns that parents don’t even know about, but we should.
Truly, I hate to pile on. But as the months go by and the “chatter” increases, I think it’s critical for the administration to get ahead
of this discussion and answer these very valid concerns.
Thank you so much, and please know that I am willing to help in any way that I can.
Here’s my response:
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are also enjoying some time away from school. I
have forwarded all of your concerns to our construction team. I want to personally assure everyone that I am not withholding any updates. As soon as I know something, staff and parents will know. I want to make certain that “chatter” stays positive and that
there is no concern about our transparency. We will walk through this adventure together!
Cindy
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