The safety and well-being of students is the main priority of everyone associated with the Chickamauga City School System. Over the years, the System has worked to improve conditions on the campus in order to make coming and going to school safer for students. Furthermore, programs have been implemented at all schools to promote the health and wellness of the students in the system. In an effort to fully diagnose the issues that the System is still facing, a comprehensive study was conducted. The following paragraphs detail the results.
The Chickamauga City School System is a K-12 system which houses three schools and the Central Office on one campus. Chickamauga Elementary School and Gordon Lee Middle School share one drive- through entrance and exit while Gordon Lee High School has its own drive-through entrance and exit. All three schools are on the same block within the city limits of Chickamauga, Georgia. Gordon Lee High School has its entrance and exit on one side of the block while Chickamauga Elementary School and Gordon Lee Middle School share an entrance and exit on the opposite side of the block.
The layout of the School System lends itself to problems with traffic congestion in both the mornings and the afternoons. Chickamauga Elementary School and Gordon Lee Middle School's shared entrance and exit worsens the traffic congestion because there are approximately 850 students in the two schools combined. Due to the fact that the High School is also entering and releasing from the other side of the block, there is no traffic relief. Further complicating the situation is the fact that the Chickamauga City School System does not provide bus service for the students. Therefore, all students must come and go in cars, on bicycles or scooters, or by foot.
During the study that was conducted, an extremely large amount of traffic was observed within the small block which houses the three schools and the Central Office. The number of cars that came by was counted over a number of days. Each day the count was taken for a minimum of twenty minutes. The average number of cars which passed by the High School was 579 cars in the mornings and 321 cars in the afternoons. Over the same time period, the average number of cars which passed by the Elementary School and Middle School was 176 in the afternoons.
Although most of the students arrive and depart in a vehicle, survey information also revealed that many students walk to school or ride a bicycle. The following chart explains the results that were discovered during the recent investigation:
| School | Walkers | Car Riders | Parents Walk to Pick Up | Student Drivers | Rides a Bicycle | Other Form of Transportation Such As Scooter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 158 | 274 | 122 | NA | 2 | |
| Middle | 18 | 289 | NA | 5 | 1 | |
| High | 37 | 212 | 139 |
Gordon Lee High School
While observing the traffic in front of the High School, there were several near-accidents as students pulled out of the horseshoe driveway. The intersection is extremely busy and four lanes of traffic are passing through this area. Due to the fact that most of the students are relatively new drivers, the High School has implemented an extensive Driver's Education Program. The time and money that has been placed into this program will hopefully bring more knowledge and discipline to the students and will help them to become safer and more responsible drivers.
Over the years there have been numerous accidents involving students. There have been car accidents and even a "walking" student hit by another student who drove to school on a regular basis. There have also been students on bikes who have been hit by cars. The City of Chickamauga and the school system have a history of working to improve the safety of students. Not only is walking and biking safety stressed in the curriculum, all staff members show due diligence and are alert and watchful in supervising students. Concerned community members have formed "traffic troopers" which is a volunteer group to assist with student drop-off and pick-up. This attests to the importance given to this matter since none of the traffic troopers have children enrolled in the school.
Chickamauga Elementary School
The Elementary School has been working for the past eight years to improve the traffic flow and to make arrival and dismissal safer for its students. Below is a brief description of the different steps which have been taken over the years in order to make Chickamauga Elementary School's dismissal process safer for the students.
- " Eight years ago, the procedures for dismissing the students at the Elementary School were very different than they are today. Dismissal times were staggered in order to eliminate some of the traffic congestion. Kindergarten was released at 2:15 and the rest of the school was released at 2:30. Thirty minutes later, the Middle School began releasing students. During dismissal of the Elementary School students, each teacher was required to go outside with his or her students and make sure they either walked home or got in the car with their parents.
- " With a change in administration the following year, came new ideas and new procedures for the dismissal of students. Dismissal times were still staggered but students were grouped differently. Any student kindergarten, first or second grade that walked home was released first. Then, Kindergarten through second grade was all released to the cafeteria at 2:30. Teachers went to the cafeteria with the remainder of their students and some teachers loaded cars at the front of the school. Names of students were called into the cafeteria by walkie-talkie and the student was then allowed to exit from the front of the building to load into cars. At 2:50, the same procedure was followed for grades three through five. Walkers were released first and then car-riders were released from the cafeteria while under the supervision of their teachers. Parents were required to have tags on their dashboards with their child's name showing in order to speed up the process of calling names and to show that they were permitted to pick up that child. One problem with this process was that the walkers were being released first and if they had to wait on a sibling in the upper grades or at the Middle School, they were being left unattended for long periods of time. At this time, an after-school care service was created which cut down on the number of students being dismissed. Many stayed on campus until parents got off from work and picked them up.
- " Three years later, another change in administration was made and even more changes occurred in the dismissal process. The current dismissal process has all Elementary School students being released at 2:40. All students remain in their classrooms with their teachers for dismissal. Teachers without a homeroom are assigned to duties outside the building such as loading cars and calling names of students. Parents are still required to have tags with their child's name displayed in order to speed up the process of calling names and to show that they are permitted to pick up that child. Students who have parents who walk onto the school's campus and pick up their children are called "parent pick-ups". These students are released to the cafeteria first. There are faculty members in the cafeteria who call students one by one to exit the building as their parents are seen at the door to pick them up. All students who leave at this time are now in the care of an adult when they are released as a parent pick-up. As soon as the parent pick-ups are released, names are called for those riding in cars. The "car-riders" are released from their classrooms. Both lanes of traffic are used to pick up students. When this process was first implemented, all of the traffic came from one direction. Both lanes of the city road were going one way. This road had been a one way during arrival times and dismissal times for many years. The lower grades stay in the right-hand lane and pick up at the front door. The upper grades pick up at the playground doors and are in the left-hand lane until they are merged by an employee to cross over to the right lane in order to pick up at the sidewalk. The pick-up process can be dangerous in itself and it is crucial it be supervised and well-orchestrated to avoid accidents. At 2:55, walkers are released. Therefore, the students who walk are not outside alone at dismissal during the time that the majority of the traffic is on campus and they leave with an older sibling if they have one. The Middle School releases at 3:00 and the High School releases at 3:05. Therefore, if any of the Elementary School students are walking to be with a sibling from one of those schools, they do not have as long to wait on them as they did in the past. Once walkers are released, all students who are left go into the after-care program.
- Recently, the Police Chief of Chickamauga came to the schools with concerns regarding the traffic on the city road being one way during dismissal. Again, his concern was the safety of the city residents who could not get in and out of their homes during dismissal time due to both lanes of traffic being used. Another concern of his was that emergency personnel could not get through to some homes during this time either. Therefore, he implemented a process which allowed us to open the city road to have traffic coming from both directions and meeting at the entrance of our drive-through area. This change resulted in one lane of traffic being open at all times. The police chief has also placed a police officer at the entrance of the school drive-through in order to help with traffic and with students who are crossing the road while walking home.
As can be seen from the brief descriptions above, the current process has been ever-changing and has evolved over many years. Every effort has been made to improve the dismissal procedures for the safety of students and for the citizens of Chickamauga.
Gordon Lee Middle School
Due to the shared driveway with Chickamauga Elementary School, Gordon Lee Middle School has also experienced many efforts to improve safety and traffic flow. Release times have been staggered and administrators help to supervise student release. The Middle School has also implemented many procedures which promote the safety and well-being of all students; but especially the safety of those students who walk or ride a bicycle to school. The Middle School has an annual "Fun Run" day which promotes good health by showing students how much fun it can be to walk and that walking is a great way to stay healthy.
While the schools have all worked together in order to better the situation, there are still some areas of concern. New ways to make the dismissal and arrival procedures safer for students are always being sought. For example, recently a new student enrolled who is completely wheelchair-bound. While there are two handicap accessible ramps, they are in the front of the school. Both of these ramps would be difficult to access during dismissal and arrival due to traffic. Therefore, another handicap ramp in a more accessible place would be beneficial. Since there are a multitude of students who walk to school, there is a tremendous need to have a permanent crossing guard or automated signal stationed at the crosswalk areas. Currently there are parent volunteers who try to help but there are times when they cannot be there. Now the new process is running smoothly, but procedural signage is needed to inform motorists. Another major problem is the fact that there are no covered areas to protect students during inclement weather. Finally there is a tremendous need for assistance in making the exit of the High School horseshoe safer for students as they exit in the afternoons.
The Chickamauga City School System is determined to continue working towards making its campus a safer place for students, parents, staff members, and community members. Promoting good health and safety is a priority for everyone. Conducting the study which has been described here, sending surveys to parents and students, and working from previous experience are just a few of the strategies that are being used to determine the steps that need to be taken from this point forward. Application has been made, in conjunction with the City of Chickamauga, for a Safe Routes to School grant which might assist with future projects to promote and ensure better and safer access to and from school.