Taking kids to school and picking them up when they’re done learning new things allows parents to secure their safety.
It also lets them increase the bonding time they get to spend with their children. For one mom, however, the policy that her son’s school came up with prevents her from picking up her son after classes.
Daryan Godley was frustrated as she learned that the elementary school that her 6-year-old son is attending came up with a policy that prohibits the parents from walking their kids from school. Instead, they have to pick them up with a car and wait in a pickup line. “We have also observed that a majority of parent walk ups have a car. Starting January 9th parent walk ups will no longer be an option,” the policy stated.
According to the school, this policy was a result of compromised students’ safety. Parents used to park across the street as they were picking up their children to avoid the long pickup line. Then, they walked through the parking lot, got their kids, and walked with them all the way back to the cars. As the school warned the parents, kids were in great danger because they were running in front of vehicles to reach their parents sooner.
As a result, the policy was implemented on January 9. Sadly for Daryan, however, following the new rules isn’t an option. Her family hasn’t been able to replace their car since it was destroyed during the Hurricane Harvey. As the bus service isn’t available to their family’s location, Godley’s only option is to walk with her son.
After the policy took place, Godley was told by the school’s secretary that she couldn’t pick up her son unless she waited in a pickup line with a vehicle. As she wrote in her Facebook post, she felt that she was mistreated and “belittled by the staff.”
Since there was no other way, Godley was allowed to walk her son from school but is required to wait until all cars in the pickup line are gone. Nowadays, she and her son continue to walk for 45 minutes to reach their home despite the occasional harsh weather conditions. According to Godley, education is worth this struggle. “Sometimes I’ll Uber, but if I don’t have that, I’ll have an umbrella and bundle up the boys as much as I can,” she explained.
Luckily, Daryan’s recent Facebook post states that the principal informed her that they would discuss how to improve the policy with the purpose of keeping everyone safe. Hopefully, a better solution will soon take place.
How does this incident make you feel? Do you think it’s fair for schools to come up with policies that throw everyone in the same basket without considering their personal situations? Let us know how the problem should be addressed and don’t forget to share this story!