AP School Starting Safer Dismissal Procedure

AVON PARK - The new year will bring a new safety procedure for dismissal time at Park Elementary School.

Beginning in January, each vehicle will be required to have a card in the dashboard imprinted with the names of the children who will be picked up in that vehicle.

"We just want to make sure that the children are as safe as we can possibly have them be," said Park Elementary Principal Brenda Longshore. Usually by this time of the year many schools take the approach that they know the parents by now, "but, we just wanted to implement it and give it a try and see if we just can't up our safety just a little bit."

Paraprofessionals who work during dismissal suggested the dashboard cards, which could also speed up the dismissal process, she said.

Two tag-board type cards will be sent home with each family beginning the first week school resumes after the winter break.

Parents or guardians who don't have the card on the dashboard will be asked to park and come to the front office to provide identification before getting their child. Those who walk to the school are asked to carry the card with them.

"It's a precautionary, proactive thing to try to make sure that we are providing the safest environment that we can for the kids," Longshore said.

Woodlawn Elementary School Assistant Principal Laura Waldon said Friday, "We don't do that right now. We have been investigating a plan for how to implement that."

The same staff members are present at dismissal every day and they are familiar with the families, she said. It is always checked if an unknown person comes to pick up a child.

Avon Elementary requires windshield stickers at the beginning of the school year for the kindergartners.

Cracker Trail Elementary issued windshield cards for parents about four years ago, Principal Rick Demeri said. "We had so many people who would send someone else to pick up their kids that it just became more trouble than it was worth because we had people who didn't have cards."

Now the same parent or relative usually picks up the child each day, but if someone else comes they are sent to the main office, he said.