More than eight weeks after the first day of school, officials are still trying to educate parents about road etiquette.
Tanya Brown, the school district's first parent and community volunteer coordinator, said all parents have yet to grasp new parking and crosswalk guidelines. Her biggest lesson is to remind parents and residents that no parking is allowed in front of the school on Grand Avenue.
"Grand Avenue is a bus zone," she said. "A quick pull-in and drop-off is perfectly OK, but there is no parking in front of the school during school hours."
Alternative parking is available on side streets. Brown reminded parents to plan ahead accordingly to allow adequate time to park when picking up children.
Another tutorial Brown wanted to share was not to stop in the street for drop-offs or pick-ups.
"Please do not stop in the middle of the street and allow your child to exit your vehicle," she pleaded. "It is for the safety of your child. The traffic behind you may or may not be stopping and you are putting your child at risk."
Other lessons include a reminder that no parking is allowed on Walnut Street in front of the preschool. Brown said the road is a designated fire lane only.
Her other tip was geared toward bicyclists. Brown said it's important for those on two wheels to dismount their bikes when using crosswalks.
In related crosswalk news, Brown also reminded parents to teach their children to walk, not run, when crossing the street.
"The crossing guard will hold traffic until they have crossed safely," Brown said.
Town Marshal John Cox also issued a friendly reminder for motorist to adhere to the posted 20 mph speed limit, citing the traffic load - some 450 students and teachers arrive and leave campus daily.
Fines for speeding in a school zone start at $224 for exceeding the speed limit by as little as 5 mph.
"For your own financial sake, please observe the school zone speed limit," he pleaded. "I've instructed our officers to strictly enforce the 20 mph school-zone speed limit."
tbaker@cortezjournal.com
