Hope Valley Elementary Parents Planning for Responsibility Zones

Need ideas for preparing ahead of Durham Public Schools implementing the new “family responsibility zone” program in January?

The Hope Valley Elementary School PTA has started a document to gather suggestions for helping families adjust to the no-bus zones: “We want to make walking to school safer and find ways to help families for whom buses are critical to ensuring they can stay in the workforce.”

Ideas collected so far include:

• Walking and bicycling safety classes from Bike Durham.
• Do-it-yourself crosswalk flag holders to support safe road crossing.
• Crossing guards at University Drive and Dixon and Chapel Hill roads.
• Keep the wooded path on Lassiter Street clear of poison ivy. The path provides the only safe path from the Lassiter Street/Eubanks Road area.
• Plan for excessive heat.
• Use a carpooling tool called SchoolPool.
• Develop a “walking school bus” program.
• Make sure students have rain ponchos, umbrellas, coats, and adequate shoes.
• Advocate for expanded access to afterschool programs and before-school care.

The family responsibility zones are proposed for 21 elementary schools in Durham to help reduce demand for the school district’s understaffed transportation department.