2017-12-08-BRIDGE-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Another SBC member brought up a related matter. Officer Bill,the crossing guard who is stationed in front of Bridge, has had two incidents this past week when a child and an adult were almost hit by cars driven by distracted drivers. Both incidents were scary, and it is only a matter of time before someone is injured. Ms. Colella agreed that distracted drivers have been a problem at drop-off and pick-up, and she has sent reminders to parents to be more mindful when driving through and around Bridge. She offered to send another reminder, urging everyone's cooperation [note: this notice was sent December 12]. Ms. Colella also pointed out that one of the challenges when engaging with parents around pick-up and drop-off protocols, especially when pointing out if they are not following the rules, is that people can be very rude,talking back and even using profanity. Not everyone is rude, Ms. Colella explained,but it happens enough to be a problem. The police have been called in some circumstances, but they arrive after the situation has resolved itself. SBC members expressed concerns about this and discussed ways that we can ensure the safety of our students and the respect of our staff. One idea was to ask the town for a second crossing guard to be stationed with Officer Bill in front of Bridge. Melanie Tanionos offered to look into the application process for such a request. Ms. Colella will ask the police department if they can patrol in front of Bridge during high traffic times.Additionally, it was suggested that the students of Bridge be educated about proper drop-off and pick-up strategies, perhaps during an all-school meeting, so they, in turn, can brief their parents. The final topic for discussion was school start and end times. SBC members asked for clarification about school start and end times. It was explained that school starts at 8:30 AM,with the first bell,but students are not marked tardy until 8:46 AM, after the 8:45 AM "late" bell. Ms. Colella begins announcements at 8:40 AM in order to give students and teachers time to get the day started; specials, for example,begin at 8:50 AM. The day ends at 3:15 PM,with announcements starting as early as 3:05 PM. She added that Boston students start dismissal at 3 PM on Mondays and Fridays in order to ensure the bus will be on time to pick up students at other schools. Ms. Colella added that the Bridge School clocks are not synced with cellphone clocks, despite service calls, so she consults her phone before starting the dismissal process. At our next meeting on Friday,January 26 at 8 AM,the SBC will discuss security at Bridge, both physical (i.e., plans for what happens if an event occurs during recess,ALICE training, etc.) and data-related. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 AM. REMINDER: Additional meetings during the 2017-2018 school year will be held January 26, March 2, April 27, and June 8 (note new date). FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact Meg Colella, Principal and SBC Chair, mcolellaPlexingtonma.org, or Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Parent Representative and SBC Co-Chair, khensle@gmail.com, or visit https://lps.1exingtonma.org/Page/792. 2