By: Steph Wetzel, Caroline Schnabel, Nicole Kazmierczak, Kasey Vangelov
High school is the time when many teenagers obtain their driver’s license and no longer need to catch the bus every morning. There are also a select number of students who walk to and from school every day. Due to the fact that there are no sidewalks in front of the school, the students are forced to walk in the streets. This is a hazard for them, and is a complication for those who drive to school, especially on darker mornings.
Some faculty members and students think that having sidewalks in front of the school would be beneficial. It would be less dangerous for walkers, and less of a concern for new drivers, and teachers driving in as well.
“It seems odd to me that there’s a school in the middle of a neighborhood without sidewalks. I think it is scary with all of our new drivers and distracted drivers,” assistant principal Mrs. DeSantis said.
Whether or not a student takes the bus or not is a question of responsibility. Mrs. DeSantis said, “There is bus transportation for everyone, meaning it is a student’s choice to walk.” Although students are not required to ride the bus, some believe it would be a safer option than choosing to walk every day.
Some students and faculty are also concerned with the number of new drivers, and the fact that the street becomes narrower during fall and winter due to leaf piles and snow banks.
“Cars beep at me every day, there’s no room, and half the time I have to walk on the road. Inconsiderate people leave their leaves or garbage everywhere,” junior Romee Farber said. Students are also afraid that the cars driving do not see them. “The cars are driving very close to where I walk, so I don’t feel very safe walking to school without sidewalks,” junior Matt Meade said.
Students who drive in are worried about the kids walking as well. “I’m nervous about kids walking when I’m driving to school because they might go farther into the street,” Junior Riley Kieffer said. It becomes even more of a risk when more than one student is walking in the same direction. “It’s tough especially at the end of the school day when it’s busy. People walk in groups, not in single file, and they all don’t fit on the side of the road,” Junior Timmy Finley said.
Assistant principal Mr. Scanzuso is just as worried about the walkers and drivers, he said the responsibility does not lie with the school directly.
“There is a chance [to get sidewalks] if it becomes a major health and safety concern, but as of now it is not a direct concern of the board as it is not on school property or the building,” he said. “It isn’t really the schools say, it’s a town issue and the homeowner’s issue, and as of now it’s their choice.”
Although Scanzuso feels that there should be sidewalks, he believes the homeowners next to the school may not have children, and their main concern would be paying for the sidewalk and cleaning it.
But parents have been asking about adding sidewalks for years. According to Thomas Maturski, Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Management Services, the parent of a recent graduate had an interest group that sent a petition around. Dr. Campo, who ran for the school board last year and is a father of a student at East, spent a few years trying to get a crossing guard at Transit.
Sidewalks and crosswalks could take much longer. Chasewood Lane and Britannia Drive are the streets that are on both sides of the school. Those streets have sidewalks as well; however, the sidewalks on both streets end. Mr. Scanzuso also mentioned a girl who got hit around six years ago on Paradise Road. Although the girl was injured, her life was not taken away from her.
The fact that winter is coming makes it even more dangerous to those who walk to school and drive in as well. The roads are slippery, it’s more difficult to see through the windshield and in general when it is snowing, and the roads aren’t always plowed.
The snow banks on the side of the roads make the roads much narrower, meaning the students walking are more towards the middle of the road.
“It’s frustrating because everybody is generally in a rush. With winter coming up I’m stressed. I feel as if it’s the town’s responsibility. These are human beings at risk and its a necessity to protect their lives,” senior Brianna McIntosh said .
This is not to say that East hasn’t done anything to discuss the significance of driving safe. Last year, a victim of an accident that involved a distracted driver, East brought Jacy Good, to the school to explain her story. The accident made her unable to move the left side of her body, took her months to recover, and left her an orphan. quoted from a previous article on Jacy Good. She also discussed the program she started called Hang Up and Drive, with her husband Steve.
It may not be the school’s place to decide whether or not there are sidewalks put outside the school; however, the lives of teenagers are put at risk, and many believe that should be put into consideration.
It shouldn’t come down to someone being hurt or killed, it would be a shame. It’s bizarre how the sidewalk just ends,” said Scanzuso referring to Covent Garden.
