THE ECHO

by Jacob Vereb

The sounds of buzz saws and jack hammers fill the hallways of Avon High School yet again as the construction continues into this school year.  

Much like in years prior, there have been notable changes to the campus’s layout, including alterations to the parking lot. The differences in the lot, coupled with nearby road closures, concerned many students and parents about the efficiency of traffic before and after school. Senior Evan VerWayne shared his concerns about the parent pickup line layout. 

“The pickup line and the line for people [students] leaving has kind of merged,” VerWayne said. “There’s a bunch of jams, and it takes way longer to leave the lot.” 

As someone who often must leave school quickly to take his sibling to practice, VerWayne said that it takes much longer to get home. This extended commute often forces him to rush. 

Kristi Sowder, a parent who is responsible for taking their student to school, shares the same opinion regarding the traffic flow. Sowder says that allowing parents to drop kids off at door 38 (formerly door 33) could alleviate some of the traffic. 

“I think that could help,” Sowder said, “because then there would be more places for the cars to go.” 

Sowder also said that the closure of Dan Jones has impacted the amount of time it takes to enter and leave the lot. 

“There’s less ways to go about coming into the parking lot, so I think that made it a bit worse,” Sowder said. 

Dan Jones being closed is an issue for many students and parents. Senior Nicholas Rankin identified the road closure as the primary challenge that drivers are facing when coming to school. 

 “That [Dan Jones being closed] makes it a lot worse,” Rankin said. “It makes everybody have to go one way.” 

Although the traffic flow before and after school is considerably slower, Rankin said that there isn’t much else the school can do to make it better for now. 

“I think they’re doing the best they can,” Rankin said. 

In response to the changes around campus, student resource officers are now more involved in directing traffic. Sgt. Adam Logan noted that the large number of students, parents, and school staff leaving the school is bound to slow down traffic. 

“We are trying to get roughly 3500 students, a handful of staff and parents off property as quickly and safely as possible,” Logan said. “This is a huge task and is going to take a little time.” 

Logan said that the police department understands the frustration that students and parents feel, and they are doing their best to make the process of entering and leaving school go smoothly. 

“The school Police Department and Administration share this frustration with everyone and are working hard to move people on and off property as quickly and safely as possible.” Logan said.