Students Arriving at School Early Forced to Wait Outside

Despite an e-blast sent out about exactly what time students should be dropped off at Eisenhower Intermediate for extra help before school, one parent is still finding students standing outside because they arrive too early.

Parent Lisa Weinstock said at Tuesday’s board of education meeting that she drops her child off for early-morning help at the school, and has found students standing outside alone because they are not allowed in the building before a certain time.

“I saw students standing outside unsupervised,” she said. “When I called parents to ask if they knew they were not supposed to do this, they were appalled their children were left standing outside.”

Weinstock said the parents believed that because students are allowed in 10 minutes before the school day begins to go to their lockers, they could arrive at the school 10 minutes before extra help began in the morning for the same purpose.

But, Weinstock said, there was an email from Eisenhower principal Joseph Diskin saying that students will not be allowed into the building earlier than the time individual teachers have designated for before-school help to begin.

“He said do not drop off students earlier than the specified times,” she said.

Weinstock said she is concerned about seeing students outside on school property, waiting without any supervision.

“I don’t want to be a witness and see something inappropriate,” she said. “It is inappropriate to see children standing out there.”

“My goal is not to cause a problem, it’s to ask for help,” she added. “I don’t want any children to be impacted or hurt.”

But Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder said there is really nothing else they can do.

“We are absolutely within our policy,” he said. “Schools have opening and closing times, and if a parent chooses to drop a child off early, that is the parent’s responsibility, not the school’s or the board of education’s.”

Schilder said the schools have designated opening and closing times, and it has been made clear to parents that extra help begins at a specific time, and students will not be allowed inside earlier than that.

“Just because teachers are coming in early doesn’t mean we can let children in,” he said. “I cannot recommend to do anything other than what we are doing now.”

Weinstock said she just wanted to let the board know what she saw, and that the email Diskin sent doesn’t say students will be denied entry into the building, just that the front doors will be locked, and students should come at the specified times.

“I’m just telling you what I saw,” she said. “If you are comfortable with children being on school property before school opens, fine.”

“My friends thought that by dropping the kids off five minutes before, they would be allowed into the building,” she added.

Board of education president Patrick Breslin said he doesn’t think it has anything to do with being comfortable, but that the school has identified when its responsibilities to the students begin.

“If we came in and told the school to move that up by five minutes, and then someone dropped their child off 10 minutes before that, would we be responsible for opening 10 minutes earlier?” he asked. “The time has been identified. I don’t want to see anyone hurt, but we can’t take responsibility for what a parent decides to do.”