Arrival and dismissal at Radez School are now safer, thanks to Cobleskill-Richmondville and parents who brought problems to the attention of officials.
Those problems––traffic jams in the morning and kids weaving in between buses in the afternoon––were resolved Monday, Superintendent Matt Sickles said at the school board meeting that night.
And also at that meeting, parents thanked Mr. Sickles and board members for the improved safety.
The morning issue was remedied fairly easily, Mr. Sickles said. Previously, buses arrived in a line at 7:45, and the long line of buses and cars dropping off kids stretched from the school out to Route 7, almost to Dollar General east of the Richmondville school.
By having the buses arrive onkly five minutes earlier, they could unload students and leave, making room for other buses and parents’ cars.
In the afternoon, a different parking design for buses made them easier for students to find.
“Before, it was just a maze,” Mr. Sickles said. “Now we have two neat lines.”
School officials took 11 staff parking spaces to create the new bus parking design, he added.
Holly Shamansky, a parent and former bus driver, was one who pointed out the problems two weeks ago.
Monday night, she thanked C-R “from the bottom of my heart.”
Jenna Mallette, another parent who noted the safety issues earlier, also thanked the board.
“I want to say how appreciative I am of the response,” Ms. Mallette said. “The issue was heard and addressed.”
School board President Bruce Tryon the parents’ input made a difference.
“Holly and Jenna, to their credit, pointed it out to us,” he said. “It’s much smoother now.”
Mr. Tryon credited Mr. Sickles, Transportation Coordinator Shane Hayes and Buildings and Grounds Manager Trevor Chaisson with making the safety improvements.