'Sick of it': Melbourne parents worry about student safety with cars driving on sidewalks to cut pick-up line
School changes pick-up policy after FOX 35 investigates
Melbourne parents are concerned about student safety with cars driving on sidewalks and around other cars to cut pick-up lines. FOX 35's Esther Bower has more.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Parents say impatient drivers are jeopardizing student safety near Suntree Elementary in Melbourne.
"It’s been a problem for years now"
What they're saying:
Parents are speaking out on safety because cars keep driving on sidewalks to get around the school pick-up line.
Several people say it’s been going on for years, and something needs to be done before someone gets hurt.
FOX 35 got involved, and hours after Esther Bower started asking questions, the district made changes.
Our reporting began because a 25-second video was shared on social media where you could see five cars cut the pickup line to avoid waiting.
Some went on the sidewalk.
Others slid through the center, and parents were tired of seeing this happen day after day.
"It’s been a problem for years now. I’m literally sick of it," said Alisa Deeley, who says she’s been reporting the problem for years to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and school district.
Deeley says she won’t even let her child walk home because of the dangerous driving.
"If there was a child there, they would just mow them over," said the concerned mother.
No one wants to see that happen.
"It’s very upsetting because it’s been going on for so long. It’s just I don’t want to see an accident happen," said Carol Rueh, who had two children attend Suntree Elementary School.
FOX 35’s Esther Bower took these parents’ concerns to the school district.
School announces changes
The other side:
After we called, we got a message from Brevard Public Schools saying the sheriff’s office has been working on a plan to stop the dangerous driving.
It went into effect the same day FOX 35 reached out.
Suntree parents got a message from the principal before school was dismissed on Wednesday.
"Suntree parents, if your child stays after school for clubs, tutoring, or ASP, parent pick-up will now be in the car loop for these activities at 3:30."
While FOX 35 was on scene during dismissal, the school resource officer was out directing traffic and stopped cars from trying to skip the line.
Parents tell us that doesn’t happen every day but would help the issue.
"People would slow down when they see her, and she would nab the ones when they didn't," said Rueh.
BPS says they will continue to monitor the issue to ensure the safety of students at Suntree.
Both parents say this was important for them to address because the school where issues are happening is on Jordan Blass Drive. The street was named after a child who was hit and killed by a car while riding their bike on the sidewalk in 1999.
These parents are pleading for patience so no one loses their life again.
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The Source: FOX 35'S Reporter Esther Bower interviewed parents near Suntree Elementary and via zoom on 3/26. She also was at at the school before and after pickup to see the issue for herself. She emailed and spoke on the phone with BPS spokesperson, Janet Murnaghan, also on 3/25. She was sent a statement by BPS on how they've been monitoring the issue and their plans to fix it.