I am writing this open letter with the intent to express parents' discontent with some new procedures implemented at Rockbrook Elementary School.
A few weeks ago a meeting was held to discuss new after school pickup procedures, and many parents expressed difficulty in understanding the reasoning behind making the playground off-limits until 3:45.
Alternate solutions were requested and proposed, but there appeared to be no interest in parent opinions. The time after school is important to most families. It's a time for kids who live out of district to connect with friends, it's a time for families to make friends and network (which will be beneficial when middle school mischief starts), and it's a chance to let the kids expend some energy, since recesses were shortened with the implementation of the block schedule.
The response to parent concerns were "well, it's not fair to the kids who have to go home immediately", and "You always have the option to go home and come back after 3:45". Since most kids only have about 20 minutes after school before the afternoon sports and activities begin, these comments did not sit well with most parents.
This solution is helping to eliminate the sense of community that District 66 is well known for, as parents now tend to take their child and leave, unable to wait the mandated 15 minutes for access to a playground that is largely maintained by Community Club funds and should be open to supervised children when the final school bell rings.
The decision to change drop-off procedures in the morning is causing issues as well.
Instead of promoting timeliness and calm, controlled movement through the school to wait outside the classroom until the first morning bell rings, all children are now required to congregate as a hoard in the lobby of the school.
When the bell rings, teachers struggle to control a stampede of children down the hall so they can hurriedly put their things away before the tardy bell rings. I, along with many other parents, find this to be an unsafe and frantic way to start a school day. Additionally, there is not enough parking for parents who accompany their small children into the building.
A better solution would be to allow students to head down the hall as they arrive, and parents can also walk their children to their classrooms instead of having to stand with the mob in the lobby.
Kimberly Garnett, parent
