Petition to Reinstate the Walkers' Dismissal Option at Fox Trail Elementary School
To: Fox Trail Elementary School Administration and School District
Subject: Request for a Change in the Dismissal Procedure

We, the undersigned parents and concerned community members, respectfully request that Fox Trail Elementary School reconsider the recent changes to the dismissal process, which no longer allows parents to walk to school to pick up their children.

The Situation:
For years, Fox Trail Elementary School allowed parents to park nearby and walk to pick up their children. This system worked efficiently, reducing traffic congestion and providing a quick and convenient way for parents to retrieve their kids.

On September 9, 2024, the school changed the dismissal process, requiring all parents to remain in their cars and queue up in a single line. This has led to significant traffic issues, including:

Increased traffic congestion: Longer lines of cars around the school, often starting as early as 1:00 PM and extending until around 2:40-2:50 PM. This has created difficulties for parents, students, and other motorists in the area.

Safety concerns: Traffic jams near intersections, with some cars blocking roads, increasing the potential for accidents.

This situation on the road may significantly impede the operations of emergency services, such as police and fire departments, whose offices are located nearby, potentially delaying response times and compromising public safety.

Inconvenience for parents \ guardians: Extended wait times have added undue stress and frustration for families. Not every parent or guardian has the flexibility to spend extended periods in a long car line. Many have work commitments, other children to pick up, or other obligations, making the current dismissal process unmanageable for busy families.

Increased Fuel Consumption and Costs: The prolonged wait times in the car line have led to significantly increased fuel consumption. Parents are now forced to idle their cars for over an hour, leading to higher gas expenses, which adds an unnecessary financial burden on families. Now every family needs to spend about 0.35 gallons more during 1 hour idling, which leads to almost $22 a month. 

The approximate calculations:

0.35 gallons / day × 5 days = 1.75 gallons / week

1.75 gallons / week × 4 weeks = 7 gallons / month

7 gallons × 3.10$ / gallon = 21.70$ / month

Inconvenience for students: Students are now required to wait longer at school to be picked up due to the traffic delays.
For example, if a parent gets in line at 1:20 PM, their child may need to spend an additional 20-25 minutes at school just waiting to be picked up, due to the traffic backup. So a child only gets picked up around 2:20 PM 

Pollution impact: Idling cars contribute significantly to pollution, and when that many cars are idling for one hour or more the environmental and health impacts can be quite substantial, especially to children.

Our Request:
We ask that the school return to the previous dismissal system, allowing parents the option to walk and pick up their children, for the following reasons:

• Reduced traffic congestion
• Improved traffic safety
• Increased efficiency in dismissal
• Decreased expenses on gas
• Decreased pollution impact

We kindly request that the school administration and district consider this petition and take action to modify the current dismissal procedure.

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On the pictures below you can see what is happening on S Nob Hill Rd during the new dismissal process.