Chesterbrook Elementary School Kiss and Ride -- Get to the back of the line!!

[Anonymous]

I’m not familiar with that area but why are people doing illegal u-turns? There is no way to just drive around the block and get in line at the correct spot?

Also, if the principal has no authority over public roads, just the school property, then she can set up cones to keep you from turning left into the lot. Right across the line between the school and the toad. You can turn..into nowhere.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Kirby road is a mess. I can't believe a cop can't direct traffic somehow. This situation is like waiting for an accident to happen.

My kids were at Chesterbrook ten + years ago and they tried and tried and tried to hire a crossing guard after the last one retired and no one applied. They tried for years. So they moved everyone to the buses. The police do not have the staff to supply a traffic cop there. We are lucky to get the one at Longfellow.

It’s an off-duty cop working OT. The school board could pay for one for Chesterbrook same as Longfellow.

This is likely an equity issue.

If the SB pays for a crossing guard at HHI schools only and not for Title One schools…

Then make sure you are advocating for all schools that need an off duty officer to direct traffic gets one. Not every school in the county is on a busy road that actually needs a police officer versus a crossing guard.

There are not enough police officers left in ffx counth for every school to have an officer directing traffic.

Our Catholic school on a very busy main road has always paid for a police officer to direct morning and afternoon kiss and ride.

This year they were told that no cops were available for the school, in spite being in a location that backs up traffic onto the main 4 lane divided road.

The reason there are not enough cops to run school kiss and rides is because there was a record number of police retirements and police quitting in ffx county over the past year.

And there is a severe drop in academy recruits over the past year. So there are not enough new cops funneling into the system to replace those leaving service. The current low staffed departments have officers working extra hours to cover the basic policing needs, so there are not enough police to run car pool lanes except at the most dire schools.

In our neigh orhood, that means only the middle school (same street at the Catholic school memtioned above) and the high school has cops directing traffic.

This is a side consequence of police shortages caused by the stigmatization of police over the past year.

Re-read the bolded.

Re read the entire statememt.

There are not enough ffx cops to cover the schools on busy roads due to too many retiremts and too few recruits.

Even if your school had a cop in the past, they might not have enough cops available for your school to have one this year, even if the school is on a busier road.

Once again. They work when they are off duty. It’s extra pay. The current force working their regular shifts are not the ones directing traffic at schools.

[Anonymous]

It’s so much easier to idle a block or two away and just tell your kids where to meet you or to part and pick them up as walkers. Anyone doing that line is nuts

[Anonymous]

I always pick up 15 minutes after the bell rings. The line moves quickly once it starts and I'd rather my kids wait inside and read a book than sit in my car holding up traffic on a busy road for half an hour. The people who get their 45 minutes early are INSANE.

[Anonymous]

Commuter here - what time do people start lining up in the morning and what time are they gone by? Trying to time my drive!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s so much easier to idle a block or two away and just tell your kids where to meet you or to part and pick them up as walkers. Anyone doing that line is nuts

chesterbrook has very few walkers, almost everyone is on the bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not familiar with that area but why are people doing illegal u-turns? There is no way to just drive around the block and get in line at the correct spot?

Also, if the principal has no authority over public roads, just the school property, then she can set up cones to keep you from turning left into the lot. Right across the line between the school and the toad. You can turn..into nowhere.

So the illegal uturns are mostly occurring by trapped commuters going east on Kirby. They unexpectedly encounter the kiss and ride line which is backed up on the road past the local community swimming pool, often past St Dustans church. Once these commuters realize that the line is not moving at all. And, the parents have no shoulder to get out of the lane of traffic. Commuters on Kirby start making U-turns fast and furious to go the other direction on Kirby and escape the standstill mess. However, kirby is a narrow road with no shoulder. In fact, the shoulder is a dangerous deep gully. So, there is legitimately no place for the parents to pull their vehicles into that gulley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not familiar with that area but why are people doing illegal u-turns? There is no way to just drive around the block and get in line at the correct spot?

Also, if the principal has no authority over public roads, just the school property, then she can set up cones to keep you from turning left into the lot. Right across the line between the school and the toad. You can turn..into nowhere.

So the illegal uturns are mostly occurring by trapped commuters going east on Kirby. They unexpectedly encounter the kiss and ride line which is backed up on the road past the local community swimming pool, often past St Dustans church. Once these commuters realize that the line is not moving at all. And, the parents have no shoulder to get out of the lane of traffic. Commuters on Kirby start making U-turns fast and furious to go the other direction on Kirby and escape the standstill mess. However, kirby is a narrow road with no shoulder. In fact, the shoulder is a dangerous deep gully. So, there is legitimately no place for the parents to pull their vehicles into that gulley.

Don't wait on kirby - you can not block the whole road for 10's of minutes on end WAITING for the kids to get out of school. Pick a side street, wait there. Park a tthe pool parking lot and walk to meet your kids. Stopping all traffic in the lane for everyone behind you is not an option.

[Anonymous]

Ugh…It’s the default attitude in McLean. Churchill ES has issues with ilegal turns and parking. Rudeness grows in this neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Kirby is a disaster with pick up times. Does principal even know?

[Anonymous]

My kids go to other McLean public schools and I have noticed as soon as a cop or administrator starts showing up, suddenly parents behave and follow rules. It is so sad they don't naturally desire to be role models for their children or just decent people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to other McLean public schools and I have noticed as soon as a cop or administrator starts showing up, suddenly parents behave and follow rules. It is so sad they don't naturally desire to be role models for their children or just decent people.

Agreed. The example set by McLean parents is seen in the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kirby is a disaster with pick up times. Does principal even know?

A search on DCUM for Chesterbrook principal reveals a growing dissatisfaction with the current principal. She rarely goes outside herself and only allows kids to walk home with prior approval from her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to other McLean public schools and I have noticed as soon as a cop or administrator starts showing up, suddenly parents behave and follow rules. It is so sad they don't naturally desire to be role models for their children or just decent people.

Agreed. The example set by McLean parents is seen in the students.

As was stated, those making illegal turns are not Chesterbrook families, but trapped traffic trying to drive past the school. The carline stretches to and past the church on Kirby, which is a quarter mile from school and not a distance an admin can nor should walk at dismissal. Cars idling on a winding road with limited visibility in a school zone is a serious hazard to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicular traffic. While there can’t be a full time crossing guard, this can and should be reported to Foust’s office, the school board, FCPS transportation, FCPS admin, and the police department. Spend your time more productively by insisting on a solution. Sidewalk construction is beginning, which will make this situation 100 times worse very soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why don't parents just drop kids off on side streets and let them walk a few block?

Since the principal requires her prior approval to walk, kids cannot just walk off school grounds. My child has actually been retained until proper paperwork was submitted. And with no crossing guard or sidewalks on one side of Kirby, crossing can be hazardous at rush hour. Parents will most likely need to park and walk with them.