Daryan Godley lost her car in Hurricane Harvey, but that hasn’t stopped her from doing what she needs to do for her two young children.
She has managed to get along without a vehicle for a while now and even walks her son to school and back every day. The entire trip takes about 45 minutes. Until recently, this was never a problem, but her son’s school has changed the rules, and now they won’t release him to her because she doesn’t have a car.
Officials at Fisher Elementary in the Pasadena Independent School District said that they are just trying to keep the students safe.
They had issues with children running out in front of cars and people driving dangerously. Many parents are in a hurry to get their kids and thought they could park in a parking lot across the street, walk over and get their kids, and skip the pickup line. This caused even more problems with traffic and safety.
The school had to find a way to put a stop to the problem, so they refused to allow parents to walk in and get their kids. Daryan said that she doesn’t walk because she is trying to skip the pickup line; she just doesn’t have a vehicle to drive to school.
She feels as if she is being penalized for that.
“I didn’t understand because I didn’t have a vehicle why couldn’t I just walk up and get my son, so I called the secretary. ‘If you don’t have a car, I can’t release your son to you.’ That was absurd to me.”
She also explained that when she attempted to pick up her son, she was made to wait for 45 minutes for the other cars to clear out before they would let her take him home. The school district insists that they are only looking out for the kids, but it feels personal to Daryan.
The school doesn’t have a cross guard or any other staff member outside helping the children cross the street or directing traffic. Asking a few teachers or hiring a crossing guard could help fix the problem and make the pickup line run a lot more smoothly.
Daryan hopes that the problem gets sorted out soon, so she can pick up her son and get home in a timely manner.
She is already walking further than many parents are driving, so it’s not fair that she has to wait even longer to pick him up. Unfortunately, bus service is not available for the family. Until things get worked out, she will continue to do what is necessary for her son.
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