Houghton Elementary School parents express concerns over pick-up and drop-off safety

HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) - During the beginning and end of school each day, parents of Houghton Elementary School students pack into the parking lot for drop-offs and pick-ups.

However, some parents are growing increasingly concerned about how safe the lot is for their students during those times.

Joelle Adams is one of those parents.

“I see a lot of parents not utilizing the crosswalk, walking just straight through the middle of the road,” said Adams. “There’s people opening their driver-side door when they are in the drop-off lane. When you open the front door like that, you tend to step out into traffic, and people aren’t always going slow like they should be.”

Adams said she and other parents have contacted the school’s principal and superintendent.

The parents say they’ve requested having someone present to specifically enforce the drop-off rules, and some have volunteered to do this.

Parent Julie Tufte says they want to make things safer before a real accident occurs.

“I don’t want to be that parent behind the wheel who can’t stop in time,” said Tufte. “I don’t want you to be the one in the middle of the street. Let’s just be smart and let’s be safe.”

Houghton Portage Township Schools Superintendent Anders Hill said he understands parents’ concerns and urges drivers to exercise patience.

“We have always encouraged parents to be patient and slow down,” said Hill. “And we’ll continue to work with parents and try to remind them of those things, and to use our roundabout that we built a couple of years ago that does help with that traffic pattern.”

Anders said putting parents in a position that could put them in conflict with other parents is not a good precedent. He said they have two to three staff present outside watching out for the students.

He also said the school can improve and is always open to feedback.

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