Parents Of Students At Local Elementary School Frustrated With New Pickup Policy

Parents of students at Grissom Elementary in Tulsa are frustrated with a new policy meant to help with vehicle congestion near the school.

The policy comes after neighbors sent a petition to the school and District 7 City Councilor Lori Decter Wright

Thursday was day three of the new policy, and while neighbors say they want roads clear enough for first responders if needed, parents say the change causes problems in their schedules.

The roads near Grissom Elementary begin filling up around 2 PM with parents who are ready to pick their students up from school.

Most students are dismissed at 2:35, but this new policy says those who park and pick up their kids will have to wait until 2:50 to get them.

“I really don't know where they have the grounds to stand on,” Madison Parish said, questioning the policy's legality for holding students 15 minutes past dismissal.

Parish says what’s more upsetting is that parents didn't have any input on the decision.

“They didn't sit down and ask any of us any opinions on a better solution. They just enacted a pretty serious change,” Parish said.

Grissom Principal Sheri Carpenter says the school had to make a decision based on concerns from the neighborhood.

A petition signed by 72 neighbors cites safety concerns over vehicles blocking first responders as the reason.

To address the concerns, Carpenter sent out the policy to parents and provided the following statement via Tulsa Public Schools:

“Safety is always a priority for Tulsa Public Schools, and for my team here at Grissom Elementary. We have made modifications to our school dismissal and pickup procedures this year, with the most recent updates going into effect on Tuesday, October 24. We appreciate our school families and know that changes in procedures take time to get used to. We look forward to continuing to engage with everyone in our school community. We can all agree that the safety, wellbeing, and education of our students at Grissom is our top priority.”

For those who do not want to wait until 2:50, the policy says parents can join the car line.

Angela McPhee picks up her grandchild and says the policy may be a solution for the neighborhood but is more than just an inconvenience for her and many others.

“I've had mothers tell me they have children at other schools. So, it makes them late if they have to wait in the car line,” McPhee said.

A PTA meeting is scheduled for Friday and will allow parents to give their input on the new policy.