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Lexington Public Schools
Maria Hastings School 2618 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
Lynne Stinson
Principal
Dear Parents,
October 29,2004
(781) 860 -5800
lstinson@sdixi.lexington.mams
fax: (781) 860 -5242
Hastings has always been a welcoming place for parents. We love to have you in the building
and hope.that you will always continue to be involved and active. However, after several
meetings with our Fire Department, our Staff, and our Crisis Prevention Committee, we have
developed some changes in our'dismissal procedures to ensure the safety of everyone. All of
the schools in Lexington are in the same process of reviewing their safety plans. Our new
procedures apply to children in grades one through five. Kindergarten Parents should continue
to meet their children at the classroom doorway and be careful to let classes pass through on
their way to recess or specialists.
Our news is full of tragic accidents and intrusions that happen in schools. It is frightening to
those of us. who work in schools and to all of us who have children of our own. Only last week,
we faced an emergency evacuation due to the very small fire that we had in the teacher work-
room. Our children and teachers were remarkable for their quiet calm and speed in getting out of
the school. Because children have had fire drill practices, there was no fear or confusion and in
fact, the children did not know that there had been a fire until we told them.
contrast that orderly process with what I can only imagine would happen if we had to evacuate
our building at the end of the day. Our halls are crowded with parents, little ones, friends,
grandparents, strollers and even dogs coming in to pick up children. Getting children from
classrooms out through the narrow and crowded hallways would be impossible. Our road in
front of the school is jammed with vehicles, some of whom refuse to move on when asked.
Getting emergency vehicles to our school would also be impossible. On Monday, Nov. 8, 2004,
we would like to begin new dismissal procedure to address these problems:
• LIVE PARKING PICK UPS: Live parking will continue to be along the front.sidewalk but cars
should not stop along the grassy circle because buses cannot get through. If the sidewalk
area is. full.,-please circle around the block giving_.ppople a._chance to move along as soon as
they have their children in the car. Double parking makes the road even more dangerous.
• IN SCHOOL PICK UPS: If you are coming in to the school, park in the back up until 3:35 and
consider that a one way road. Lextended Day uses the back hard top and fields after 3:35.
An alternative is to find places to park in the neighborhood and walk over.
• GATHER IN THE GYM: Please enter through the front door and gather in the gym after our
last physical education class ends at 3:00. We will call children who are being picked up at
3:10 to meet you there rather than in the hallways. It is important that we clear the gym by
3:15 to make room for the children who wait there for buses.
CHECKING IN WITH TEACHERS: If you need to exchange a few words with your child's
teacher, pick up homework or drop something off, you are still welcome to do so at about
3:20 as soon as the hallways have cleared.