La Grange Parents Object To School Traffic Changes

LA GRANGE, IL – Cossitt Avenue Elementary School is at the edge of La Grange's downtown, so traffic and parking will likely always be an issue.

But the school's recent changes have drawn parents' ire.

Starting this school year, the drop-off line has moved to Ashland and Harris avenues, from Harris and Madison avenues.

This was meant to provide enough parking for staff and visitors to Cossitt, according to a public message from school officials last week. For several years, the school's staff has exceeded the number of parking spaces.

At the same time, officials acknowledged the changes have led to increasing frustration.

"From the beginning, this was a collaboration between the Village and the District, and I can confirm that at no time were local businesses consulted about this change," Principal Mike Michowski said in the letter, which Superintendent Chris Covino signed.

They added, "The District wants to be a good partner with the community, but never at the risk of student safety or to create parking spaces for local businesses."

At Monday's La Grange Village Board meeting, parent Jennifer McElroy said she was speaking on behalf of parents against the changes.

She praised the village's overall approach to making downtown appealing. But she said student safety must come first when changing Cossitt's traffic patterns.

She said Madison is now closed at arrival and dismissal, while Ashland is open.

That's where she said the problem was. Ashland, where she lives, is much busier, linking 47th Street to Ogden Avenue, she said.

"I have personally seen drivers gunning it down the street right in front of my house," McElroy said.

Opening up Ashland near the school, she said, was "an irresponsible decision that puts children directly in harm's way."

She suggested the changes were made out of consideration for nearby businesses. While she said she supports downtown's shops and restaurants, students' safety is the priority.

McElroy, who fought back tears, proposed that the school again close Ashland to cars and make Madison a one-way street during the busy times.

After her comments, audience members applauded.

In response, Village President Mark Kuchler called the changes a "work in progress." He said La Grange School District 102, which runs Cossitt, has been working with the village.

Village Trustee Beth Augustine later said, "The more we know, the more we can help. I feel pretty confident that it will get resolved in some way. It helps when you show up and tell your story."

In their message, school officials promised to take several actions in response to concerns:

• La Grange police have agreed to observe drop-offs and street crossings to find improvements. They will meet with the principal afterward.
• The school has deployed crossing guards to new places to ensure more attention to the busiest intersections.
• Building employees have been outside monitoring the drop-off procedures. District staff plan to join them.
• The school will consider shifting the main arrival place, creating more Harris drop-offs in a way that lets the line of cars more fully encompass Ashland and Harris.
• The school is working with First Student, the district's bus firm, to change the place for the pick-up and drop-off of bus passengers. This would create more available space on Ashland.
• Officials plan to look for other opportunities to alleviate excessively long backups of cars during bad weather. Rain and snow have historically been challenging for drop-offs, according to the district.

Here is the Sept. 3 letter from school officials to parents:

Good afternoon Cossitt Parents and Guardians,

Over the last 24 hours we have received several calls and emails expressing deep concern for the safety of students during drop off time in the morning. The root of this concern is the shift we initiated to the drop off line - moving it away from Harris and Madison to Ashland and Harris. While the rationale for this change was always to provide adequate parking for staff and visitors to Cossitt, it is clear that this change has been increasingly frustrating and upsetting. This message is partially to let you know that we hear your concerns and voices and we are working to address all of them. More than anything related to what has been shared, the primary focus of student safety is one that we take to be a sacred responsibility.

A little context for the change might be helpful before listing some of our next steps to ensure student safety every morning. Last spring the Village of La Grange and the District started conversations about freeing up parking spaces along Madison avenue. The staff of Cossitt has exceeded the number of available spaces for several years now - also leaving no designated visitor spaces for parents and volunteers to attend meetings or class events. From the beginning, this was a collaboration between the Village and the District, and I can confirm that at no time were local businesses consulted about this change. The District wants to be a good partner with the community, but never at the risk of student safety or to create parking spaces for local businesses. These conversations started in the spring, continued through the summer and in the fall the village installed new parking signs to reflect the change - adding staff and visitor parking designations to the spots along Madison.

That being said, the genuine and heartfelt concerns within the voices and emails that have been shared throughout the day are clear indicators that we need to revisit the current structure of the carline. For those of you who have called or emailed, we have made a point to respond in kind to each and everyone of you. That is how communities work best.

I would like to share a few ways that we are monitoring and potentially shifting this new plan to create an even safer school environment during the drop off time. The fact remains that our school is located in the middle of a busy downtown, and we are fortunate to have many community members so close that they can walk to school each day. This creates a safety concern regardless of the drop off line - one that the Cossitt staff and administration and crossing guards from Andy Frain monitor regularly.

In order to address the concerns we have heard the following actions will take place starting tomorrow:

1. The LaGrange Police Department has agreed to observe the drop off and street crossing process to monitor for ways to improve the safety for everyone. They will be meeting Mr. Michowski in his office at 8:00 and will be joining him in observing the carline.
2. The Building administration has shifted crossing guards to new locations to ensure that there is more coverage and attention paid to the busiest intersections.
3. While building staff have been outside and monitoring the drop off procedures each day, District staff will join them to monitor the new process and make suggestions for change to increase safety.
4. We will be looking at a potential shift in our primary drop off location (creating more Harris drop offs in a way that allows the carline to more fully encompass Ashland AND Harris).
5. We are working with First Student (the D102 bus company) to change the location for the pick up and drop off location for students riding the bus. This will streamline this process and create more available space on Ashland.
6. We will additionally be monitoring any possible opportunities to alleviate excessively long back ups during inclement weather. As most of you know, rain and snow have historically been very challenging for drop offs.

In the meantime, I want to recognize the limitations of emails and affirm that the conversations had with several parents on the phone today have been highly impactful. I want to extend this option to any concerned parent. I hope this message affirms our belief in the vital importance of student safety and our commitment to maintaining open lines of communication and trust between families and Cossitt School.

Mike Michowski
Cossitt Principal

Chris Covino
D102 Superintendent