Safety, Security, and Procedures
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Please keep in mind that the safety of our students is our major concern. Remember the following rules and it will contribute to our arrival and dismissal running smoothly.
NOTE: Any time you are on campus between 7:30am and 3:30 pm you are required to sign in through the front office, even just to escort your child to the classroom. Please wear your badge in a clearly visible, appropriate location.
Parking- Parent/Visitor parking is provided in the front of the school (paved and grassy area).
- The entire length of the driveway and car loop is restricted to teacher/staff parking only.
- During the school day, the only point of access will be the front office gate. This gate will remain closed but not locked. Please remember to latch it closed when you come onto campus. All other gates will be closed and locked.
Casabella Gate
The casabella Gate will continue to be unlocked during arrival and dismissal times only.
- Mornings: 7:30am-8:05am
- Afternoons: Students will be escorted to gate (open and shut only)
- The gate will remain locked for all other times.
- For students who participate in after school activities, arrangements must be made for the parent to pick up students in the car loop.
- The gate will be opened for school-wide "evening" events (15 minutes before and 15 minutes after).
Arrival Procedures
Arrival Time: 7:30am - 8:00am
- All student drop-offs shall be done in the car loop (west side).
- Car loop gate opens at 7:30am.
- In the morning, follow the signals given by patrols and staff by pulling up the "entire length" of the sidewalk. This enables us to unload about 15 cars at a time which reduces the wait time for those still in line.
- Students are not permitted to exit their vehicle behind the fence in the car loop. Students must wait until they are clear of the fence at Building 500.
- Students are not to be dropped off in the front of the school or on Jordan Blass Drive.
- Students may not cross the front crosswalk without an adult escort all the way to the sidewalk. You are welcome to park and walk your children into the school, but you must sign in to receive a visitor badge.
- The car loop gate and Casa Bella gate will remain locked until 7:25 am, at which time supervisory personnel will arrive with hand held radios to unlock the gates. Both gates will be locked again at 8:05am each morning.
- School Age Child Care parents will use the gate by the front office to drop off and pick up their child/children from SACC. This will be the only point of entry/exit for the school, except when the car loop is open during arrival and dismissal.
Dismissal Procedures
- The car loop gate will be opened at 2:20 pm. Please do not form a line earlier than 2:15 pm as we need to prevent back-ups on Jordan Blass Drive.
- In the afternoon, students will wait with their grade level supervisor according to the grade of the youngest child in the family.
- Each family will be given a color-coded name tag for the rear view mirror of the pickup vehicle. Please have this name tag clearly visible while in the loop so we may have your child waiting when you reach the grade level area.
- Bus riders, walkers, escorted walkers, and bike riders are dismissed starting at 2:30pm and are escorted by a teacher to their designated areas.
- Parents of escorted walkers must wait in the grassy island in front of the school until buses are dismissed. Adults picking up escorted walkers will NOT be ID'd.
- Car riders are dismissed starting at 2:30pm and escorted to the car loop by a teacher. All parents of car riders are expected to drive through the car loop to pick up their child(ren).
- Parents and visitors may enter the school via the front crosswalk. There is no visitor parking in the car loop.
- Students are not to be picked up in the front of the school. They may not cross the front crosswalk without an adult escort. Parking is provided in the front of the school if you need to visit or conduct school business.
- Anyone needing to cross Jordan Blass Drive must use the crosswalk at the west end of the school property. A crossing guard is positioned during arrival and dismissal to safely cross pedestrians across the roadway.
- Bikers and walkers that leave campus through the Casa Bella gate will be escorted to the gate and dismissed. The gate will immediately be relocked. Considerations will be made and communicated pertinent to access following after school clubs and activities.
- Please do not check students out of school after 2:00pm.
Dismissals need to be designated as one of the following ways: Please make sure your child's teacher has, in writing, your child's dismissal method.
- School Age Child Care or after school activity
- Bus rider
- Car riders - picked up in a car in the car loop
- Escorted Walkers
- Walkers and Bikers - dismissed across the car loop entrance via the crosswalk to the sidewalk in front of the bike rack.
Rainy Day Dismissal
Based on School Board Procedures, we use the 30-30 rule. This dictates that if the time between seeing lightning and hearing thunder is thirty (30) seconds or less, students need to be moved indoors even if dismissal has already begun. Walkers and bike riders will be directed to the media center (or cafeteria if media center is in use) and will be given the opportunity to call for a ride. As for car riders, if the weather is severe we will move those students indoors also and escort them from there to the cars. If the weather becomes too severe we will suspend releasing students to cars until the danger passes.
Bike riders and walkers will be released on their own 30 minutes after lightning is last observed if they cannot contact someone for a ride home.
If you have more than one child here it’s a good idea to make sure the children make a habit of waiting at the crosswalk for their sibling(s) before leaving. There have been times when some students have already left campus and we’ve had to stop dismissal in the middle. This can cause confusion if one sibling has already starting walking home and the other is held back in the media center.
Thank you for helping us keep our students safe!
General Notes
- Golf carts are to remain off of the Suntree Elementary School campus, both for arrival and dismissal. Please park carts beyond the far sidewalk (near the mansion wall).
- Speed limit is 5mph in our car loop and parking lots.
- Drivers must remain in your car when in the car loop.
- We request that you avoid left turns onto Jordan Blass Drive during arrival or dismissal hours as this backs up our car loop.
- All pedestrians (students, parents, visitors, etc.) must use the designated crosswalks. Two crosswalks have been established. No one should attempt to cross in any other location during our arrival or dismissal times as this develops poor safety habits for children. This practice was established by the school and district safety committee working with the Brevard County Schools Transportation Department.
- Parent and visitor parking is allowed in the north (front) parking lot only. Car loop aprking area is for staff members only.
- Please do not stop/park in the front driveways, except at the crosswalk to allow pedestrians to pass.
- Please do not drive automobiles on or across any sidewalks. These sidewalks are intended for pedestrians only.
- The entire west parking lot (car loop) is for staff parking only. Please enter this lot only if you are going to go through the loop to pick up or drop off a child.
- Cars may not enter the bus loop in the front of the school. Only school buses, daycare buses, and other designated vehicles may enter the bus loop at any time.
- Cell phones are very distracting and should not be used while driving.
Consider staggering the time you arrive before and after school. Try coming a few minutes earlier in the morning, as the car loop is less congested between 7:30 and 7:45am, and plan to arrive at the car loop no later than 2:40 in the afternoon. Please remember, students must be in the classroom ready to work at 8:00 am. Pulling into the car loop late and then having to wait in line does not excuse the tardy to class.
Community members not traveling to the school, are encouraged to use an alternate route during our arrival and dismissal times. Jordan Blass Drive becomes very congested during these times. You might consider using St. Andrews instead.