By VICKI URBANIK

Two Duneland School parents who didn’t like the traffic flow at Bailly Elementary School did something about it.

Cindy Johnston and Barb Wheeler presented a plan to Bailly Prinicipal Mike Grubb to change the loading and unloading of students who are driven to and from school. The plan went into effect at the start of the current school year and everyday since then, Johnston and Wheeler, along with parent Tammie Krayniak, are at Bailly making sure the plan works by guiding the vehicles and the kids.

Johnston and Wheeler outlined the changes with a slide show presentation at Monday’s Duneland School Board meeting. Grubb said the change is an “excellent example” of parents coming up with a solution to a problem and then making sure it works.

Johnston said that up until this school year, the morning drop-off routine in front of the school involved “three lines of chaos.” Kids getting dropped off would often have to walk in front of cars dropping off other kids.

So, she and Wheeler looked at the traffic flows at some other schools and came up with a plan to set up cones in the morning, with the cars pulling up in single file to drop off the students. The change has meant that no child has to walk through traffic; instead, they get out of their car right onto the school curb, Wheeler said.

If a parent needs to go into the school, they are to park nearby but not drive through the drop-off lane.

In the afternoon, a different system comes into play. Each family has been given a placard with their name in it. Each child getting picked up waits in line until their vehicle arrives, with the vehicles driving up to a numbered spot. After the first set of 12 vehicles pick up the students, the next 12 pull up.

Johnston said there were a few kinks and complaints, but they have been worked out. “The kids are getting out quickly,” she said.

After their presentation, school board member Mike Trout half jokingly asked where the parents were 15 years ago when his own children were at Bailly.

The parents discussed the traffic changes as part of a Bailly School presentation at the school board meeting. Also on hand from Bailly were first-grade teachers Jenny Vidimos and Maggie Gleason, who discussed a purchase of Stuart Murphy books made possible through a Duneland School Foundation grant. The books, some of which are targeted to students and others written for teachers, incorporate math concepts in the reading.

Custer Commended

School Board President John Marshall opened Monday’s school board meeting by commending fellow board member Janice Custer, who served as board president last year. Marshall presented Custer a plaque of appreciation.

Marshall said that newer school board members, like himself, have to lean on the more experienced board members for guidance. “You have so much to learn in a short period of time,” he said. Having Custer on the school board has had a double advantage, he said, since Custer, a retired Duneland teacher, has helped board members look at issues not only from a board member perspective but also from a teacher perspective.

Summer School

The school board approved the summer school dates and fees as presented by Duneland Assistant Superintendent Monte Moffett.

Chesterton High School’s first summer session will be from June 9 to July 1. The second session will be from July 2 to July 25. Classess will begin at 7:30 a.m., with dismissal at 12:20 p.m.

The “jump start” summer school session for elementary and middle schools will be July 21 to August 8. Class will begin at 7:45 a.m., with dismissal at 12:15 p.m.

Summer school fees will be $60 per student, the same as last year.

Driver’s education will be offered in four sessions. The fee will be $350, the same as last year.

Moffett said Duneland’s driver’s ed fee is very competitive with the private companies. He did say, though, that the driver’s ed enrollment has been going down, likely because students are able to take classes elsewhere as soon as they become eligible to drive.

Posted 2/6/2008