Cherokee Express Lane Procedures:

Tips

•   Avoid the traffic by dropping off early in the morning at 7:30 AM, and picking up a few minutes later at 2:20 PM. There is supervision in front of school in the mornings starting at 7:30 AM and after school until 2:30 PM. Children still waiting for their ride after 2:30 PM are asked to wait in the office.

•   To reduce backups during Express Lane times, please enter the parking lot from the northbound lane of 56th Street when possible.

•   Please arrange car seats so children can exit and enter your car on the passenger side.  It is unsafe to exit on the driver’s side in traffic. Otherwise, do not use the Express Lane and park.

•   Please remember to share the Express Lane procedures with the ‘chauffeur’ of your children so they will know what to expect.

•   Kindergarten children must be picked up from the classroom. Please arrive early and park. In some cases, arrangements may be made with the teacher for a responsible older sibling to bring the child to the Express Lane.

Morning Drop-off 7:30 - 7:45 AM

•       Have students ready to exit the cars before entering the Express Lane. Backpacks should be packed and zipped, breakfasts put away, hair combed and shoes on.  This is a Stop, Drop and Roll system.

•       Pull forward all the way to the cross walk, or as far as you can, before letting the children exit the car.

•       Children should exit the cars in waves, from the first car just before the crosswalk, to the last car in line in the express lane.  Do not wait until you are closer to the school.  This impedes the flow of traffic and slows down the process.

•       While the drop-off lane of traffic is unloading the pedestrians will have time to cross.  As the unloaded cars exit, the pedestrians will be held back to keep the traffic flowing efficiently.

Afternoon Pick-up 2:15 – 2:30 PM

•       Arrive after 2:15 PM to pick-up your children.  Cars will not be allowed in the Express Lane until 2:15 PM. Before that time special buses and services will be using the lane.

•       Please create a sign with the student’s full name (BIG, BOLD, LEGIBLE letters) and place on dash.

•       As names are seen and relayed to the megaphone volunteer they will be called out. Tell your children to be looking for their ride and to quickly come to their ride as they hear their name called.

•       We will call the child’s name three times. If the child does not arrive, we’ll ask you to circle around and reenter the queue or you may park.

•       After 2:30 PM we ask all children to wait in the office for their ride to ensure their safety.

Cherokee Parking Lot Safety Guidelines:

•   Parents please set a safe example for all our children and use the crosswalks.  Walking across the lanes is not safe and does not promote safety for our children.

•   DO NOT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP IN THE PARKING LOT. Drop-off and pick-up of students is done from the Express Lane only. There is too much traffic in the parking lot and it is unsafe. When parking, walk your children to the crosswalk and/or meet them in front of the school.