Dear ACS and IC Parents,

In an effort to improve the traffic situation, concerning safety and flow of vehicles, that occurs daily with the arrival and departure of students to the two schools along Bayard Dodge Street, we are writing you requesting your understanding and cooperation.

Our most important message is: 

Please make sure you or your chauffeur does not arrive at the school more than 5 minutes before dismissal.

Arrival:

Static parking on Bayard Dodge is not permitted because it results in huge traffic jams.  Therefore, we are informing you that as of Monday, Sept. 26, 2011 guards are instructed to ask all cars to drive on after dropping the child/children.  The administration in the two schools will have people at the gates to receive your child.  Parents driving individually will be able to drop their child into the hands of a responsible adult and will not be able to park and take their child inside.

 For arrival, specific space is designated for bus drop off.  Parents and chauffeurs need to respect this space.  Please instruct your chauffeur to pull to the curb for drop off if a space is available rather than dropping off in the middle of the road.  If we collaborate and respect each other during drop off, the traffic wait time will be minimal.

All ACS and IC buses will drop students off and continue out to circulate away from the schools’ area.  The gates will close at 8:15 AM and stay closed until the first pick up time for IC students except for the buses, pick up of sick children, and deliveries.  ACS and IC buses will return to park for pick up after 8:15 AM.

Pick-up:

For safety reasons, cars will not be able enter the campus as parking clogs the road creating difficulty for buses and dismissal.  In the past, some chauffeurs arrived as much as an hour early, sat around smoking, and blocked the emergency lane.  This problem existed at all arrival points including the Corniche for the IC Elementary. This year, the police will be more aggressive about early double parking.  Please make sure you or your chauffeur does not arrive at the school more than 5 minutes before dismissal.

For pick up we will be instituting the following priority:

Buses will arrive before pick up time whether for ACS or IC.  The IC buses will load and depart for the first IC pick up of the day before cars are allowed to pass the gate on Bayard Dodge Street.  Cars arriving before that time will be directed to the Corniche so as to keep the road open for deliveries and emergencies.  The gate will open after the buses are loaded bout 1:10 PM.  The gate will remain open for ACS Early Years pick up which follows IC's first pick up by only a half an hour.  The gate will be closed again either after the second IC dismissal at 2:00 PM ( M-T-Th- Fri) or after the ACS Early Years dismissal at 1:30 PM on Wed.  The gate will remain closed until 3:15 p.m. when it will open for ACS dismissal. 

We recognize that having two schools with over 3,600 students arriving and departing each day with only a few access roads is not an easy situation, however it is a reality.  In addition, there are construction projects in our area.  Your cooperation to improve the situation is needed. Other ways you can facilitate the arrival and departure of your children, e.g. carpooling, joining the bus service, or walking your child to school when possible.

We thank you for your cooperation and we will continue to assess the situation.

Sincerely yours,

George H. Damon, Jr.                                                      John K. Johnson

Headmaster ACS                                                              President IC