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Parent urges Starpoint to address student parking and bus‑loop safety; deputies and staff discuss short‑term options
Summary
A parent raised multiple safety concerns about student parking, a middle‑school bus loop that requires students to cross traffic, and traffic flow at the high school exit; deputies and staff described recent enforcement trials and committed to forwarding the parent’s photos to the district safety group.
During the public forum a parent, James Lawrence, said he has two children in the district and reported three pressing safety concerns: student drivers parking outside lines and on sidewalks; an elementary/middle‑school bus loop where students must cross an active traffic lane; and congestion and unsafe driving at the high school exit.
“I have 2 students in the building. I have 3 concerns. 1 is, about student parking,” Lawrence said, and added that buses are sometimes parked in the interior loop while students must cross traffic. He urged short‑term changes, including temporary traffic patterns that direct all leaving cars to the right for a short window after dismissal so buses can exit safely.
Deputy Rakowski and a traffic division deputy (Deputy Ross) were referenced by trustees as having been contacted about the issues. A deputy present explained the district tested having a deputy in place for one week but said it “actually caused more issues due to the flashing lights, getting people pulled over for failure to yield … and then people rubbernecking,” increasing congestion on Mapleton and beyond.
Board members said they would forward Lawrence’s photos to the district safety committee and to deputies. One trustee said, “I’ll have Mister Mann send me the video, the pictures that you sent,” and asked staff to route the materials to the safety committee. Trustees also noted the district is considering capital improvements that include longer‑term parking and traffic solutions.
No immediate board policy action was taken during the meeting; deputies and district staff discussed the practical limits of short‑term enforcement and said traffic solutions may require coordinated study and possible infrastructure changes.
