Although back-to-school traffic has improved somewhat, some Sandy Springs parents are finding the commute to new schools is taking much longer than promised.
After Spalding Drive Elementary School closed last year because of low enrollment and its aging facility, parents driving their children to school found the commutes to be 45 minutes to an hour, after being told it should only take 15 minutes.
Stephen Bell, a parent whose children formerly attended Spalding Drive but now are enrolled at Woodland Elementary, described long lines of traffic.
“The commute has been a significant challenge for the Spalding families now at Woodland. Our two-mile commute to Spalding was often less than a single song. Our new two-mile commute to Woodland has taken some parents nearly an hour,” Bell said of the first week of school.
He said one family had to turn around before dropping off their child to get their other children ready for the middle school bus. Some parents said they allowed time for a 50-minute commute to ensure they arrive before the bell signaling the start of school.
Fulton County Schools Communications Director Brian Noyes said adjustments always occur with the start of the school year. He said the school district was aware of some new traffic patterns due to the realignment of elementary schools in Sandy Springs and the construction at North Springs High School. Traffic has increased at Woodland Elementary; however, he said those issues appear to be working better during the second week of school.
Not every parent whose child now attends Woodland Elementary feels their child is getting what was promised. Bell said when the Fulton County Board of Education voted to close Spalding Drive, Superintendent Mike Looney and board chair Kristin McCabe promised parents that their children would be in a better place, with newer, safer, and more secure buildings than Spalding Drive.
“For those students at Woodland [who are being] educated in the trailers next to the main road, that promise was clearly not kept,” Bell said.
Bell said Woodland’s facilities didn’t live up to the promise. Multiple leaks in the ceiling with fallen tiles and giant trash cans welcomed students to their first day of school.
Spalding Drive was closed due to overcapacity in the Sandy Springs cluster. However, the school district uses five portable classrooms on the front lawn at Woodland. Bell said the school doesn’t have enough classrooms to support the students inside the building.
Bell said he does’t have any complaints about the staff at Woodland nor the rest of the community.
“The school staff, from Area Superintendent Bates through Principal Toomer down to the educational staff, have been amazing. They care so much about these children. They have done a superb job in making a challenging transition comfortable for these children,” Bell said.
