GREEN: A plan for parking and for dropping off students at the intermediate and middle schools is expected to take effect Wednesday, district operations director Wendall Jackson told the Green Board of Education this week.
Jackson said the changes, which will affect traffic only between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and not during afternoon dismissal from the schools, are needed because at times “it looks like dodgem cars out there.”
Jackson said he has witnessed traffic jams on Steese Road and many near-misses while trying to find a way to move students from vehicles into the schools without anyone getting struck.
“Everyone should understand this is for the safety of the kids,” Superintendent Michael Nutter said. He said the problem has been studied for some time and is being coordinated with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Green.
The core issue is heavy traffic during the 30-minute morning rush as parents and bus drivers are trying to get the students to classes and some school personnel are trying to get to parking spaces in the same general area.
To help curb the problem, Jackson said Green Intermediate School staff will begin parking in an east lot off Steese Road. Middle school personnel will park behind their school, where there is an abundance of parking spaces. That will keep the shared lot between the schools open for bus traffic only.
Jackson said all involved parents and staff will be notified shortly as to the starting date for the changes and how they are designed to work.