Wow--I think I have been rather sheltered...My 5 yr. old just started K5 at the local

groovymom2000 · Aug 21, 2006

school, and I have now had 3 days of being immersed in the LONG drop-off and pick-up lines at the school. Gives me way too much time to observe....I think I could count on one hand the number of children that I have seen in a booster seat---and this is only the K5-2nd grade line!!

I can't tell you how many children I have seen in the past 3 days hop into the FRONT seat, and either don't put the seatbelt on at all or TUCK it under their arm! I am seriously considering asking the police to take an afternoon and do random checks.....what would you do? I would be willing to bet that my kid is the only one in a harness seat(Husky), but I'm not even seeing kids in booster seats. These are little kids--there's no way they should be out of a seat.

It's very disheartening---I know that usage is low, but I guess I haven't seen that many kids in one space to realize how bad it is.

Ali · Aug 21, 2006

I completely understand your frustration! I am a teacher and have asked not to be put on parent-pick up duty because I get so frustrated watching teeny, tiny kids get in the front seat. These kids should still be harnessed! Now I deal with getting the bus lines onto the buses!

scatterbunny · Aug 21, 2006

Hayley is starting kindergarten next month and I can't decide if I'm ready for her to ride the bus or if I want to take her. I KNOW the pick-up/drop-off line is going to get to me. I'm worried about feeling rushed in line, Hayley's seat takes some time to buckle, whether it's her booster or her harnessed seat.

Splash · Aug 21, 2006

I hate doing the parent pick up line. I would have to bite my tongue every time I saw a kid get in the car.

The day care that my boss takes his kids to REALLY gets me. First off, you canNOT park your car and go get them, they bring the children to you. You are not allowed to get out of the car and buckle them in in the line. They put the kids in the car and you have to drive off somewhere with unbuckled kids and then buckle them. The few times I went to get them I refused to drive off until they were buckled. I had people honking at me and the teachers telling me I needed to leave the line and could buckle them in elsewhere... "Nothing will happen if you just drive a bit across the parking lot" stuff. And of course, when they are with my boss or his wife (they are currently 2 and 4, but the 2 year old has been in a booster since about 22 months and the just turned four year old hasn't been in anything in about a year) they just climb into the cargo hold of the SUV or they both sit in the front seat and drive away. No buckle, no car seats, nothing.
Pisses me off really.

Kellyr2 · Aug 21, 2006

And this is part of why i'm so thankful that EVERY kid that goes to our school lives close enough to walk. Not all DO walk, especially the ones that live the furthest out in the zone (but still close enough that they don't run buses at all), but a lot do. I'll be driving Aaric to and from a lot in the first few weeks - he starts next Monday (8/28) and I'm due 9/22, and I can't promise to walk fast enough to get him there on time LOL (and I am not sending him on the walk alone just yet, either!)

Simplysomething · Aug 21, 2006

there is no pick up line at my sons school, you have to park where ever you can find a spot and go in and get your kiddo. They check to make sure Kid A goes home with Parent A..etc.

My son generally rides the bus to school (It's super far away, like almost a whole MILE!). I don't know how this year will go, because school doesn't start until September 5th. I did learn last year that there are only so many parking spaces and it's best to get there WAY early for any school event. lol

Last year, when I'd go pick him up, I'd notice some of the other K students who weren't in boosters, apparently they were all... 6 @@.

This year, it's first grade, first year without mandatory seat usage. So, we'll see.

Our biggest school transportation issue has been whether or not the bus was going to be 30 minutes or 45 minutes late...lol

Simplysomething · Aug 21, 2006

there is no pick up line at my sons school, you have to park where ever you can find a spot and go in and get your kiddo. They check to make sure Kid A goes home with Parent A..etc.

My son generally rides the bus to school (It's super far away, like almost a whole MILE!). I don't know how this year will go, because school doesn't start until September 5th. I did learn last year that there are only so many parking spaces and it's best to get there WAY early for any school event. lol

Last year, when I'd go pick him up, I'd notice some of the other K students who weren't in boosters, apparently they were all... 6 @@.

This year, it's first grade, first year without mandatory seat usage. So, we'll see.

Our biggest school transportation issue has been whether or not the bus was going to be 30 minutes or 45 minutes late...lol

groovymom2000 · Aug 21, 2006

You're not allowed to go inside to pick up DS here either--the first day I felt

really rushed, but today I simply ignored everyone and we waited until he was buckled and I reached back to tighten him before we moved. They can't make me move my car before he's safe---I would love to park and pick him up, it would be so much quicker! :lol He's actually faster in his Husky than the Parkway. Besides, I need the Parkway for when DH takes him to school--we have to leave by 7:25, so it makles more sense for Dh to take him on his way to work.....

Patriot201 · Aug 21, 2006

Splash said:
The day care that my boss takes his kids to REALLY gets me. First off, you canNOT park your car and go get them, they bring the children to you. You are not allowed to get out of the car and buckle them in in the line. They put the kids in the car and you have to drive off somewhere with unbuckled kids and then buckle them. The few times I went to get them I refused to drive off until they were buckled. I had people honking at me and the teachers telling me I needed to leave the line and could buckle them in elsewhere... "Nothing will happen if you just drive a bit across the parking lot" stuff.

Wow! I would not like that daycare. Why can't you go in? I like daycares with an "open-door" policy. You should be able to go into your child's daycare anytime you want.

The attitude of "nothing will happen if you drive them across the parking lot" is horrifying!!! Parking lots are one of the top places for accidents to occur! Also, what a TERRIBLE message that sends the kids. If a parent wants to have a "the car doesn't move until everyone is buckled" rule, that daycare throws that right out the window. How terrible!!!

melaniev · Aug 21, 2006

uh yah - this is bizarre - in our schools even in middle school you have to sign in at the office and gather in the auditorium to pick up your kid. granted its nerve-wracking enough having 200+ kids running at you at once, but in a parking lot??????? thats ridiculous!!!!!

OH, and in our schools, you can't even walk or ride a bike until 9th grade!

flipper68 · Aug 21, 2006

Dismissal is a nightmare at my school. 750 kids - preK-5, very few walk, mostly because of traffic/safety concerns. There is only one, two lane road for both the parking lot and the "half moon" driveway. There is tons of construction going on, including a new multidirectional intersection about 1.5 mi. away so dump trucks, tractor-trailors, etc. are the norm. The speed limit (when the lights aren't flashing) is 45.

I've seen:
Car drive through ditch in front of the school to get around someone who was not moving in the driveway.

OHS seat being used as a belt positioning booster. [I HAD to say something about that one!]

My favorite: the half moon has parking on the side closest to the the school and the other is supposed to be the moving line. 3 out of 4 vehicles STOP directly in front of the school to let child(ren) out or pick them up.

Forget about boosters or harnessed seats or NOT sitting in the front seat.

Kdg. students saw one of my sped students (1st gr. in w/c) with his booster and asked why he had a baby seat. I replied it's not a baby seat and that he should be using one as well. The boy said, "I don't have to, I'm six."

One parent waved her child (little one - K/1) across the street - despite the fact that there is a cross walk and the street is crazy busy. I literally ran after the child and caught her before she could cross. Poor kid - teacher telling her "NO," mom saying, "Come On."

My informal survey I did shortly after I was first certified showed over 85% of the children in the vehicle were improperly restrained. And since it was done by visual only, on moving vehicles, I counted any kid I could see that was seated in the back with the seat belt on as a "Good," because I usually couldn't see if a booster was present or needed. The misuse was over 85%, mostly front seat, lack of seat belt/misuse (behind shoulder or under arm), or obvious lack of CR.

I too have been assigned "inside" duty at dismissal.

Simplysomething · Aug 21, 2006

flipper68 said:
OHS seat being used as a belt positioning booster. [I HAD to say something about that one!]

Do tell, what was the response?

becca011906 · Aug 21, 2006

Yep school has started her as well, this is the first year w/ a drop off pick up site, my ds 6 is able to buckle himself in his booster but can't open the big heavy rear door of the SUV so i ahve to get out for that, dd4 goes to PK there as well, i didn't get to pick her up her first day, dh did and said it went well... we'll see how it goes wend when i pick them both up...

chaoticoctopus · Aug 22, 2006

The school my children attend is really good about making sure kids get buckled in, and that only adult-sized kiddos get into front seats (the grades run from K4-8th). I wouldn't have the first clue what's happening inside the vehicles WRT carseats, as our line doesn't allow for any view of the insides of the other cars. But I do know that many/most of the teachers and parents who man the carpool lanes *do* check to ensure that kids are getting buckled into their seats before the parents drive away. I've been briefly detained a few times because my two middle bench seats are lap-only, and the teacher didn't see a shoulder belt coming over the chest. FWIW...

Patriot201 · Aug 22, 2006

chaoticoctopus said:
The school my children attend is really good about making sure kids get buckled in, and that only adult-sized kiddos get into front seats (the grades run from K4-8th). I wouldn't have the first clue what's happening inside the vehicles WRT carseats, as our line doesn't allow for any view of the insides of the other cars. But I do know that many/most of the teachers and parents who man the carpool lanes *do* check to ensure that kids are getting buckled into their seats before the parents drive away. I've been briefly detained a few times because my two middle bench seats are lap-only, and the teacher didn't see a shoulder belt coming over the chest. FWIW...

That's great! I am surprised, though, that the school does that. Are the teachers and parents actually buckling the kids into the seats, or are they just checking to make sure that they are buckled?

I hope they are not actually buckling the children in. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen. A sue-happy parent could sue the school, teacher, or parent if something happened to the child.

Checking to see that they are buckled is great, though!

chaoticoctopus · Aug 22, 2006

They're just visually checking. This is not a public school, but I don't know if that would have anything to do with it. Generally the parents at this school are pretty involved and know most of the carpool attendants/teachers, so I can't imagine anyone complaining that someone *gasp* was checking to ensure compliance with seatbelt safety laws...

They just look in at everyone, ask if they're all buckled in, or remind them if they don't see a child start buckling right away; once they see that everyone's buckled they close the door so I can drive away. I'm not too concerned about taking too long in the lane-- we have six kiddos, four of whom go to the school, so we are in a separate "HOV" pickup lane than the other families. Everyone there is picking up at least 3 or 4 (or more!) children, so it can take a bit longer to get everyone settled where they need to be. I can't imagine another parent complaining that it takes too long to pick their kids up because of seatbelt checks. It takes a solid two minutes just to get everyone in the vehicle and *sitting*! So what's another 5 or 10 seconds while they do a visual check?

If the kids aren't buckled, they just stand there waiting with the door open until the child is buckled. I don't think anyone (that I know of) has any type of issue with this approach. If the child didn't listen to the teacher, I would assume the parent would join in with the request to get buckled up-- NOW. I have had to do this when a child was overenthusiastic about getting something out of their backpack to show me, instead of buckling up first, as they should.

I don't see why this approach wouldn't be appropriate at other schools. Maybe it could be mentioned at the OP's??

groovymom2000 · Aug 22, 2006

Ahh...the difference between public and private schools...I am beginning to learn to

count the ways....

Victorious4 · Aug 22, 2006

I also hate visiting elementary school parking lots *SIGH*

I call the police on those vehicles with illegal misuse/nonuse -- do you have your state's child restraint legislation?

I've also tallied up each occurrance of gross misuse to present to the school principal & PTA with a copy of the US Dept. of Transportation booster seat teacher's curriculum booklet ( www.boosterseat.gov ), asking they at least create a newsletter for parents including the serious nature of crashes on the safely/wellbeing & lives of their children along with the law & contact info for local CPSTs & some of the fun handouts in the booklet if they're unable to incorporate the curriculum into the classroom or even as an activity in the gymnasium/cafeteria/theater (ideally with CPST public service officer available for the families -- such a Night Out event).

As always I leave printable relevant materials + my business card on windshields when possible....

bobandjess99 · Jun 23, 2007

groovymom2000 said:
I am seriously considering asking the police to take an afternoon and do random checks.....what would you do? .

do you know for certain it is against the law in your state?? of cruose, we all know it's not safe, but, for example, where my sister lives, the crappy state law only requires carseat use until 4/40, so none of those 5+ kids would be technically breaking the law by using car seat belts.

ThreeBeans · Jun 23, 2007

Holy old thread!

Wow--I think I have been rather sheltered...My 5 yr. old just started K5 at the local

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