We, the undersigned parents, families, and community members, are deeply concerned about the safety of students, staff, and families during arrival and dismissal at Plato Academy Pinellas Park.

Currently, traffic on 49th Street backs up daily as cars wait to enter the school parking lot. This creates unsafe conditions for drivers, students walking or biking to school, and families entering or leaving campus. While the City of Pinellas Park and the Pinellas Park Police Department have expressed concern, issuing traffic citations to parents does not address the root issue.

Despite repeated requests, the City has declined to designate the area in front of the school as a school zone, stating it does not meet current criteria. However, 49th Street is a major thoroughfare with high traffic speeds, and the safety risks for our children remain urgent and real.

We believe the most effective solution is to:

1. Designate 49th Street in front of Plato Academy Pinellas Park as a school zone for at least 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon, with a reduced speed limit of 15 mph during those times.
2.  If a school zone is not possible, install a yellow flashing school entrance sign at the school entrance to be activated during car line, reminding drivers to exercise caution.

Taking these steps will not only improve safety for students who walk, bike, and ride to school, but will also ease congestion by allowing vehicles to enter and exit the parking lot more efficiently.

We respectfully urge the City of Pinellas Park and the Public Works Operation Center to act quickly to implement one of these solutions for the safety of our community.

Together, we can prevent accidents and protect our children.

Sincerely,
The undersigned parents, families, and community supporters of Plato Academy Pinellas Park