Reminders

Good afternoon Riverside Families,

There are no words for the recent tragedy in Sussex and our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved. I would like to take a moment to discuss transportation and parking lot safety at Riverside.

Safety of your children is always our top priority. With that in mind, we want to again share the measures we have implemented to ensure a smooth and secure process during bus drop-off/dismissal and parent drop-off/pick-up times.

Morning Bus Drop-Off:

1.Supervised Entry: Staff members are stationed to greet students as they exit the buses and cars and guide them safely into the school building.

2.Designated Zones: Buses unload in a clearly marked and restricted area to separate them from parent vehicles and pedestrian traffic.

Parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up

1. We ask that parents drive slowly and be patient with our line.

2. All adults who are parking are expected to walk their child/children across the lot to the walkway into the building.

3. *It is also a good idea to have your children able to exit your vehicle from the passenger side/curb side of the car to avoid exiting into the parking lot.

4. Along with parent expectations, we have personnel stationed outside to help supervise for safety.

Afternoon Bus Dismissal:

1. All bus lines wait inside until the bus arrives.

2. Once a bus arrives, the line is walked out and supervised by an adult. 

3. At no point will students cross the parking lot to get to a bus.

General Safety Measures:

1. Staff Presence: Trained staff are present to oversee both drop-off and pick-up, ensuring that students exit and enter vehicles safely and efficiently.
2. Our school resource officer is called in to periodically review our drop off and dismissal and give us suggestions for improvement. We last did this during the past week and were given positive feedback.
3. In addition, our Riverside Crisis Team meets regularly and we had an additional meeting on Friday to review our procedures and the feedback we received from the police department. We are currently reviewing some things and if there are changes, we will communicate that to all of our families.

How you can help:

1. When driving in our lot, please remember to drive slow and to be off of cell phones.
2. To further support safety, it may be wise to discuss with your child the importance of following instructions from school staff during these times. It is important that children walk outside whether it is in a bus line or to the front for parent pick-up and that they are also aware of surroundings and traffic.
3. Please follow the diagram below when dropping off and picking up to make traffic flow smoother.

We also appreciate your cooperation in adhering to traffic rules and being patient as we work to provide a safe environment for everyone.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Essentially, children will never be entering or exiting a vehicle without adult supervision.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school community safe. 

If you need anything, please feel free to reach out to me.

Respectfully,

Scott Walter