By Mary Getzke, Assistant Principal, Park Elementary
Safety at school is a first priority for all our students. There has been many things taking place to keep children safe at Park Elementary. The biggest and needed change is the new secure front entrance to Park Elementary School. It is with gratitude that the staff wants to thank the public for providing a safe entrance to  Park Elementary for the students in grades 2-5. Our secure entrance is at the far southeast end of the front of the building. Once school is in session the only entrance into the building is the southeast entrance where a staff member will promptly buzz the guest in and the visitor is asked  to sign-in to the building. You can enter the building with a bright yellow visitor’s pass. It takes teamwork to keep our students safe. If a person does not have an employee badge or a yellow visitor’s pass a staff member will redirect this person back to sign-in at the main office. All visitors are asked to sign out when exiting the building. Safety requires multiple layers and the building entrance is one way to improve safety.
Another important step in safety is shown through the dedication of 68 students who have volunteered to serve their peers and families to be able to safely cross the streets to and from the school building. The students in Safety Patrol have made a commitment to  keep members in our community safe crossing streets in the mornings and afternoons. Our busiest intersection is at Grove Street and 2nd Avenue. We have three to four students and an adult at this intersection. It is also greatly appreciated that officers from the Hutchinson Police Department support this corner when possible. It is vital for drivers to give all their attention to driving when around school intersections. If flags are in the crosswalk helping children and families cross the street, stop your vehicle and patiently wait. We thank our dedicated safety patrol students, their parents, our paraprofessionals and officers for their teamwork that helps us keep safe every day crossing the streets by school.
School staff, bus drivers and students have teamed up to learn and review what we need to do to keep our buses peaceful. A bus driver has a serious and important job to drive and get our children home safely. It is the student’s job to follow the bus rules and to not distract the driver. If you have a child that rides the bus, please support us in encouraging your child to quietly sit on the bus. Any distraction can cause the driver to take their eyes off the road.  Riding the bus is a service provided to those who keep our buses peaceful. This is why you will find that the District and the bus company are strict in enforcing a peaceful bus that keeps everyone safe.
At Park Elementary there are close to 1000 people in the building. It takes teamwork from all of us to keep each person safe and provide a productive learning environment for all. School rules and expectations are different than at home because of the amount of people in one area working hard to improve themselves academically, with good character, and to be safe.
