For years, Freedom Area High School students have been dropped off in front of the school by the bus or by their parents every morning. However, that changed when the school board approved a new morning drop off procedure over the summer. The new system was put in place starting this school year, largely because of R.J. Rhodes Transit Inc’s. ongoing requests to do so. 

“[The Rhodes Transit contractor] asked us if there was some way to try to eliminate some of the traffic out front so that it would not be so congested in the morning,” Principal William Deal said. 

Rhodes Transit has been asking for an updated traffic route since last school year, mainly because of multiple safety issues they have experienced in the past. 

“The bus drivers were trying to pay attention to the kids that were getting off of the bus, so they would be pulling out and see a kid or a car darting out in front of them,” Deal said. 

In other words, the school made the decision to make a change in order to avoid any potential dangers to the students and bus drivers. The new and improved drop off procedure sends all cars around to the back of the high school, where parents can let their children out safely. The back door is open for students to enter through, as they previously did with the front door, with no extra time added out in the elements. 

There are concerns about how long the new system would take students to get inside and about their exposure to the weather, but they appear to be rather unnecessary. 

“When it’s winter, when it’s cold and when it’s raining, we do not want kids to have to walk through the long sidewalk,” Mr. Deal said.  

This year’s updated traffic route ensures that walking through the weather is not on anyone’s radar. Both the students and the bus drivers are safer, and now have an even clearer path to the building. 

Ultimately, the drop off change is all about the safety of Freedom Area High School’s students. The loop around the building may be physically longer than going straight down the front of the school, but without the build-up out front, it is actually a much faster plan altogether. 

“Once everybody gets used to it, I’m hoping that it has a minimal effect on the students,” Deal said. 

The school hopes the new drop off procedure will be beneficial to parents and students, and creates a safer, more efficient solution to the once crowded line out front. Heading to the back door in the morning will soon become just as natural as heading to the front door ever was.