Note from Mr. Hanna: Changes in morning drop-off

Dear Stratton Community:

Some families have cited concerns about the safety of students when they arrive to and depart from Stratton School.  Specifically, the faculty and visitor parking lot is very active, with live parking, and many cars coming and going at the same time as many students are walking through it.  The School Council took up the issue at our January 14^th meeting.  Some members of the Council shared history of trying to make the drop off and pick up as safe as possible.  It was agreed that there are, and always have been pros and cons to any proposed solution.  However, it seemed prudent to the Council and to me to close the parking lot to entering cars at the times that are high traffic for children and their parents coming in and out of the building. So beginning on the Monday after April break – April 22 - we will block off the entrance and exit to the parking lot from 8-8:30 am, and again from 1:45-2:30 pm.  The Council and I believe that this will be the best way to improve safety for all children.  The following are some recommendations to families to prepare to adjust to this changed procedure:

·         Arrive earlier: Students can safely arrive on the blacktop or inside starting at 8am.  For this year, they may come between 7:45-8:05 to have breakfast in the Cafeteria.

·         If you must park in order to escort younger children, park further down on Mountain Avenue, or on Pheasant Street.  There seems to be some under-utilized parking on Pheasant near the blacktop

·         With the parking lot closed only to foot traffic at 8am, you could drop off on Mountain Avenue near the parking lot, and allow your child to walk to the blacktop or entrance

·         If you drop off in the Mountain Circle, make sure your parking is live

As with all procedure changes, this may cause some initial inconvenience.  I hope that it is clear that we are interested first and foremost with children’s safety, and it is for this reason that we are making this change.  Please call or write anytime with any questions or concerns.

Kind regards,

Mr. Hanna