Recently parents of students in Barker Central School were notified that if we had children in elementary, and/or middle school that we were required to drop your children off that the sidewalk entrance by the high school cafeteria via the 1911 building parking lot.  In the letter sent home with our children, there was no alternate plan given for children with disabilities, and/or our children that are in preschool/kindergarten/first grades.  Once parents with children with disabilities called the school, they were instructed that if their children needed “extra time” to walk into school, they would have to come 20 minutes early to walk their children in, and then they would have to wait in the office and/or foyer for 20 minutes still the start of the school day.  Other concerns from parents are the weather.  On days like today when with the wind chill of -7 degrees, the school is asking our children to walk further on cold, sometimes untreated sidewalks.  
Originally the parking lot in the 1911 building was much smaller.  On the corner of the road there was actually a softball diamond that the JV softball, and Somerset Youth Softball.  The expansion of the 1911 parking lot, was to facilitate more parking for the staff at the school.  However, on any given day you can drive by there and see that 60% of the parking lot is empty.  As a healthcare worker it takes me 10 minutes to walk into work, because staff is to park in the staff parking lot which is further away.  The theory is that the patients well being and SAFETY is always first.  This should apply to our children as well.  We as residents of Barker/Somerset pay yearly school taxes to fund the school that is always supposed to put our children’s safety first.  
That being said, we are preposing that the Pratt Elementary parking lot be utilized for drop offs and pick ups only, parents that are at the school for volunteering, PTA, etc.  We can eliminate the current parking spots from the southwest part of the the parking lot along with the two current handicap spots next to them, and make that a pull up and  drop off point.  Additional handicap spots can be added along the southeast section of the parking lot along the that row moving East to the end of the parking lot.  These additional handicap parking spots can be utilized for teachers that have a NYS certificated handicap parking sticker, and parents/students with handicap parking needs.  Please see the picture of preposed new parking out changes.  All other staff can park in the 1911 building parking lot, since that is why the parking lot was extended in the first place.  This will number one, prevent staff that park in the elementary lot from pulling in at the last minute, (which happens on a daily basis) when our children, and often us parents are getting out of our vehicles.  Again improving the safety of your children.  Teachers that have children that attend elementary school can utilize the parking lot as well.  In a town where we are struggling to keep the school open, you would like that having the schools resource officers hat harassed parents in the morning in the parking lot, moving to a different school district looks better and better every day.