TOP STORY>>The ABC’s of back to school safety

By Airman 1st Class Regina Agoha
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

August marks the start of the end of summer for school-aged children. Parents and those who drive past Arnold Drive Elementary and Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School Flightline Upper Academy are to be mindful that once school begins, Aug. 13 for the Flightline Upper Academy and Aug. 20 for Arnold Drive, road rules for child safety will be strongly enforced.

Cefus Benner, 19th Security Forces Squadron police services, said that most of the road rules will be the same for both schools.

School zone safety lights will begin flashing promptly the first day of school near Arnold Drive Elementary from 7:25 to 8:15 a.m., and it will start again 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. for school dismissal, Benner said.

“Only traffic coming westbound on Arnold Drive can turn directly into Arnold Drive Elementary school parking lot for picking up or droppingoff students,” he said. There are signs posted to inform drivers that no left turns between school hours are allowed.

There is a 15-mph speed zone near the school, and there is no tolerance in that area for speeding, Benner said. SFS Airmen will be there to strictly enforce it, and they will stop those exceeding the speed limit, even by one mile per hour, he said. To help deter speeding, a speeding cart will be placed near the school for drivers to monitor their own speed. Once the flashing lights turn off, the speed limit is back to 35 mph.

For the Flightline Upper Academy, school runs from 7:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Dr. Phillis Nichols-Anderson, Vice President, southern region, said.

“Parents dropping off students in the morning may turn off of Cannon Drive into the one-way drive which begins at the school marquee, passes under the front awning of the school, and continues past the school directly in front of the Razorback Inn. Parents are asked to follow the outside right lane of the one-way drive in order to allow non-school traffic destined for the Razorback Inn to pass freely while adhering to the inner left lane of the one-way drive. All students will exit their vehicles under the front awning of the school.

Nichols-Anderson said fifth and sixth grade dismissal pick-up will follow the same identical route as the morning drop off.

“These students will be escorted to the front awning area with their homeroom teachers, and will board their transportation as the vehicles pass under the awning,” she said. “The pick-up will begin to flow at 3:45 pm. Parents/Guardians who arrive prior to 3:45 p.m. are asked to park their vehicle in the front parking lot, and students will be escorted to their vehicle as a group by a designated teacher.

Vehicles awaiting pick-up are not allowed to form a car line as they wait for student dismissal. Seventh and eighth grade dismissal pick-up will enter the school property from Cannon Drive through the one-way entry, and will follow the one-way through street running between Flightline and the Distinguished Visitor Lodging. These vehicles will then circle around to the rear parking slots on the street behind the school and wait for their children to be dismissed to the vehicles by their homeroom teachers. Once the students are picked up, the traffic will then flow back to Arnold Drive for the final exit near the Shopette.”

Benner said there is a crosswalk near Arnold Drive Elementary, and there will be a crossing guard there dressed in a reflective vest and holding a stop sign to control the flow of traffic. Drivers need to adhere to the crossing guard and slow down as well as be extra observant of their surroundings while in the school zones because children may disregard the cross walks and run into the street.

“Children are our future, and nothing affects a community worse than to lose a child. You can not be in that big of a hurry to where slowing down to 15 mph for 200 yards is going to kill you. If you are in that much of a hurry, then you need to leave earlier. The biggest issue of course, is the child’s safety,” said Benner.

Arnold Drive Elementary and JCLS Flightline Upper Academy are both public schools. Arnold Drive Elementary teaches students from kinder-garten to fifth grade. JCLS Flightline Upper Academy educates fifth to eighth graders.

To volunteer to be a crossing guard, call the school or contact the retiree office on base at 987-6095.