Park School letter says staff will call police and agency if students stay after dismissal

By Columbia Spy -

Columbia Spy recently received a copy of the letter shown above, dated November 25, 2019, which was apparently sent by the Park Elementary School principal to "Parent/Caregiver" of children attending there. The letter states that if any children remain at the school after 3:05 p.m., school staff will contact the Columbia Borough Police Department and the Lancaster County Children and Youth Social Service Agency.


Comments

Blessed with 4 said…
These teachers are salary, its not free after school care. They wouldnt have sent thia out if there wasnt a continuous problem. The school has been letting out at the same time for how long? Make back up plans and get your kids on time. Or pay higher taxes so they can pay teachers to stay with the kids whos parents apparently cant pick up on time.
December 4, 2019 at 5:06 PM
Radical rag said…
Nobody said anything about after school care!! What about the older sibling that walks from the high school or the taylor middle school to walk there park school sibling home, it may be a few mins after 305 till they get to them, parents do work!!! I mean if my taxes were to go up, id rather see them get rid of the teacher that cane up with this and find someone that actually cares !!
December 4, 2019 at 7:19 PM
Anonymous said…
How about the school comes up with a more feasible pick up solution. It is a pain in the butt to have to find a parking space and get my 3 young children out of the car to WALK to pick up my son. It's even more fun when it's raining outside. I would think these college educated officials should be able to come up with a more practical solution. There aren't any issues with dropping kids off in front of the school in the morning so why can't their be a car pick up line? Also, most school districts have an after school program that children can attend until parents are able to pick them up after work. The continuous issue is that most parents figured out that if they WAIT until the barriers are removed at about 10 after 3 they can just drive up and pick up their kids instead of dealing with the inconvenient pick up situation.
December 4, 2019 at 7:37 PM
We put stuff outside to pick up later and got a fine for $25 said…
I did notice the street being blocked off it's probably for the safety of the kids. When I was in school there was more controlled or organization we had to stand in single line. Now it seems to be total chaos the kids just run ramped right into the street because they're blocked off. Let's get more organizational control all these people open the streets so parents can drive up the street and pick him up. These college boys need to put their education to use and get a hold on the situation.
December 4, 2019 at 8:44 PM
Matank57 said…
It isn't that they don't care it is the fact that on the day before Thanksgiving the school let out at 1:15pm and there was still students at the school not picked up till 3:05pm or later.
December 5, 2019 at 1:42 PM
Radical rag said…
Does any school in the county have such a policy????? This is pathetic if you asked me, so due to a few kids they can make a police policy?? Come on, they better come up with a better policy,
December 5, 2019 at 2:08 PM
Angie Brown said…
After school care is the parents responsibility to find!! And my daughter goes to the high school. She gets out At 2:27. She better be able to make it to park achool in 38 min!!
December 5, 2019 at 5:54 PM
Angie Brown said…
I walk to the school every day with 3 kids under the age of 4 to pick up my child.
December 5, 2019 at 5:55 PM
John smith said…
This is ridiculous. Maybe the parents don't get off work that early, maybe they don't have another person to pick their children up. The school might think about having an after school program, which is for students who's parents work later than 3pm. Three of my grandchildren go to an after school program at their school. Why call the police and social services. This is so idiotic.
December 5, 2019 at 6:34 PM
Unknown said…
hey here's an idea.... ADD SCHOOL BUSSES!!!! implement that the children STAND IN LINE & wait for parent/ caregiver NOT be allowed to run around in the street... the new pick up solution is complete garbage... i have a difficult time getting from my one child to the other on the other end of the school let alone finding my daughter in KINDERGARTEN because she's small & usually sitting on the curb... and what if a parent takes the bus like i do & doesn't have cell phone like i don't?? worst case scenario the bus gets stuck in traffic & is behind schedule? or what HAS already happened to me.. Traffic for AN HOUR for Field Of Screams...??? Children & Youth gets called because i'm Stuck?? the police because of traffic??? REALLY
December 5, 2019 at 8:33 PM
Anonymous.X83 said…
In a district that claims they are focusing on improving the relationship between school, families, and the community, the tone of this letter is reprehensible.

One would hope an elementary school principal would recognize that negative reinforcement is not effective. Educators are supposed to help kids find solutions, not threaten.

Than being said... adversity has a way of getting Colombia to rally. Changing pick up procedure sounds like a really good start. And an after-school program would be wonderful. There has got to be grants for that. Columbia is a prime candidate for grants.

Social media may be a good place to vent, but is not the forum to make change. Go to your school board meetings and speak calmly, firmly, and directly. Talk to your elected representatives and the newpaper. Make your ideas heard.

Please know this: this is not your the teachers fault. They want respect in this matter just like you do. Administration needs to step up or step out.
December 5, 2019 at 10:30 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Columbia's decision to ban former employee from its property may be 'unconstitutional' [Lancaster Watchdog]

By Columbia Spy -
Image
Chris Vera [Columbia Spy file photo] The following information is excerpted from a December 6, 2025 LNP Watchdog article by LNP | LancasterOnline reporter Jade Campos. Still reeling from an abrupt firing from his role as head of the Columbia Market House in March, Chris Vera was surprised to get a letter in the mail from a Columbia Borough attorney two weeks later telling him he was banned indefinitely from borough property. The letter gave no reason for the ban. Nine months later, Vera, who has served as president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society for more than a decade and has helped with the borough’s comprehensive plan, is still banned from borough property. He believes the ban includes borough parks, which is part of the reason he moved his annual Albatwitch Day festival, which celebrates the myth of a local cryptid, to Wrightsville. Vera said he’s not sure why the borough went to such lengths to keep him away from public spaces given his termination from the borough s...
Read more

East Donegal man charged in Columbia hit & run

By Columbia Spy -
Image
NATHAN WILLISON | LNP Staff Writer An East Donegal Township man is facing criminal charges after police say he struck a 13-year-old with his truck and fled the scene last month.  Derek Scott Mohr, 28, is charged with causing an accident involving death or injury without a license, failing to stop to render aid, driving at an unsafe speed and related charges.  Mohr had been driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado through Chestnut Street in Columbia around 8 p.m. March 20 when he struck a 13-year-old boy riding a motorized scooter and continued driving, according to charging documents filed by police.  When police arrived, they found the boy with a broken leg and a cut to his forehead. His scooter was lying nearby, its handlebars completely snapped off.  Another teenager who witnessed what happened described the truck to police and said that the driver made no attempt to stop after striking the boy. Surveillance footage collected from the area shows the truck striking the b...
Read more

Mayor Lutz must accept responsibility

By Columbia Spy -
Image
  GUEST COMMENTARY [Name withheld by request out of fear of retaliation] For two decades, Leo Lutz has occupied the mayor's office in Columbia, and his supporters are quick to credit him with every positive development in our borough, but leadership is a two-way street. If Mayor Lutz is going to accept praise for Columbia's successes, many of which, frankly, he had little direct involvement in, then he must also be held accountable for our failures. The facts paint a troubling picture. Despite the mayor's repeated assurances that our streets are safe, we've witnessed a disturbing rise in assaults, shootings, and vandalism. His promises have fallen by the wayside: the foot patrol we were promised never materialized, nor did the bike patrol that was supposed to increase our sense of security. Fiscally, the situation is equally dire. Taxes have increased at least twice during Mayor Lutz's tenure, yet the borough now finds itself millions of dollars in debt. This isn...
Read more