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Parent urges faster action on pedestrian safety, says district has not named site safety specialist
Summary
A parent who said he represents families in the South River feeder pattern urged the board to speed repairs and to let the district know who is the designated site safety specialist; he said promised consultant contracts had not been let despite months of reports.
Grayson Morgan, a parent with children at South River High School and Davidsonville Elementary, used the public-comment period of the Oct. 1 Anne Arundel County Board of Education meeting to press the district on pedestrian and traffic safety near schools.
"I have been doing it for 10 months," Morgan said, describing repeated reports of inadequate crosswalks and signage in the South River feeder. He told the board he had sent photos and concerns to district staff and that he was told facilities planned to hire an expert consultant to assess and address the issues "later this summer and into the next school year," but he said he could find no record that a contract had been let.
Morgan said he was unable to identify the district’s site safety specialist and asked the board to prioritize hiring a consultant and getting safety fixes completed.
"It has been 10 months, and it should not take 10 months to paint a crosswalk in our school system," Morgan said.
Board President Silkworth redirected Morgan to items on the agenda when Morgan initially referenced another agenda item and reminded him that non-agenda concerns could be raised later in the meeting; Morgan then presented his remarks during the public-comment period designated for agenda items related to contracts and personnel.
What the board said or did: Board members did not take formal action on Morgan’s request during the public meeting. The superintendent’s earlier consent presentation covered an award-of-contract item (energy management software) but did not list a contract for a safety consultant. The meeting record indicates facilities staff had told Morgan at some point that a consultant would be hired, but no contract award for that work appeared in the public record during the meeting.
Why it matters: Parent and community reports about crosswalks, signage and other pedestrian protections have direct implications for student safety during arrival and dismissal. Morgan’s public comment asks the district to make clear who the site safety specialist is and to expedite any consultant work and repairs.
Next steps: Morgan asked the board to prioritize letting a contract for consultant assessment and to identify the site safety specialist. The board did not announce follow-up action in the public portion of the meeting; the board’s comment-policy materials state that concerns may be referred to the superintendent for staff follow-up.
