Parent tells board Yargo Elementary car-rider line is causing tardies and safety concerns

A parent urged the Barrow County Board of Education Feb. 3 to help Yargo Elementary redesign its morning car-rider procedure to reduce traffic backups and students being marked tardy.

Dina Valadares, who identified herself as a parent of Wildcat students, told the board the current line "starts from Haman Morris Road, wraps through the Haman Morris Middle School, and kids aren't allowed out of their vehicles until they're in the bus loop." She said that results in situations where parents are on site but children are marked late because vehicles cannot reach the bus loop in time. "The procedure in place currently is inefficient and unsustainable with the growth we've had in our district," she said.

Valadares suggested alternatives: allow students to exit vehicles nearer the portables and walk to the bus loop, or use a backdoor that faces the Haman Morris parking lot; she also asked that teachers assisting with car-rider duties be asked to help students out of vehicles, especially those with disabilities. Valadares said she expects the principal to work with executive staff on a more efficient procedure and asked the board to support faster changes than the principal's planned timeline.

Board policy noted during the meeting states that public comment will be considered but that "no action will be taken at the meeting" based solely on public comment. The board did not take immediate action on the request during the Feb. 3 meeting.