I promised Norfolk School Board member Jim Driggers I would get the word out .. and so I am, in this blog.

As parents we all want nothing but the absolute best for our kids, but we’re not going to get it without putting our 2 cents in!! I was tipped off to a potentially deadly situation in a school zone crosswalk last week and began researching what was going on. After checking out the situation for myself, I realized the biggest issue here was lack of warning for drivers! The only thing telling drivers there was an official school zone crossing approaching was a sign like this one (see top right corner of pic below) and you couldn’t even see it until you were IN the crosswalk!!! This is just a block away from a public school with hundreds of kids crossing Hampton Blvd. twice a day!!

Just one day after seeing this for myself, I went to the people I thought had the biggest stake in the well being of our students, the School Board. Come to find out they had absolutely no idea the problem even existed! What’s more is City Council HAS been aware of the problem for quite some time and they are in the process of getting things done to correct it.  I think there is an assumption by many parents that the School Board is more aware than they are. As I mentioned in the first line of this entry, Norfolk School Board member Jim Driggers made me promise I would try to get the word out to parents that the School Board can’t do anything until they realize the issue exists. Board members are unpaid and are members for the sole purpose of making a difference. Although City Council and the School Board’s do work together, Driggers says it’s a mistake to assume the Board is made aware of all issues impacting students. The moral of the story Driggers says .. If you are a parent with a concern, you probably are not alone. Contact your School Board as a first line of defense and go from there. The Board often times can be just the springboard you need to get through the red tape of local government. In return for helping to get this message out, Driggers promised me he would present this issue to the Board ASAP. Parents band together, we can make a difference .. don’t just complain, complain to the right people and see what happens.

Anyone out there have any experience with this? Write back to me, I’d like to hear about it.

E.