Haines City residents press Polk school board on Bethune Academy traffic; superintendent promises traffic study

A Haines City resident told the Polk County School Board on March 24 that heavy vehicle congestion around Bethune Academy is blocking driveways and making local streets difficult to navigate during school arrival and dismissal.

Albertine Sullivan Richard, who gave her address and said she lives in the school's radius, said residents are often unable to get out of their driveways because of "bumper-to-bumper" traffic and asked the board to meet with her and Board member Keys to find a compromise. "We have some concerns... the congestion is very bumper-to-bumper before school and after school," Richard said.

Superintendent Hyde responded that the district has limited authority over roadways and noted nearby construction and a lack of sidewalks. Hyde proposed that district Safe Schools staff conduct a traffic study to evaluate dismissal and pick-up patterns, bus loops and potential reconfiguration. He cautioned that adding pavement requires engineering review for drainage and runoff but committed to follow up: "Give us about a week so Safe Schools can go out and do their evaluation, and then we'll schedule a meeting," Hyde said, and he invited Board member Keys to join the follow-up.

At the same public-comment period, Tamiko Bennett urged the board to expand training for educators to better support students with disabilities, describing her son's ongoing trauma and the need for staff counseling and de-escalation skills. She thanked the district transportation department for arranging transfers that allow her son to attend a different school in Haines City.

The board recorded the comments and Superintendent Hyde and staff committed to follow-up actions: Safe Schools will perform an evaluation of Bethune Academy's traffic operations and district staff will schedule a meeting with the resident and Board member Keys to discuss possible next steps.