Parents walking kids to school is beneficial in many ways, including being a healthy way for parents to bond with their kids. However, Principal Holly Ray of Bear Branch Elementary School in Magnolia, Texas doesn’t see it that way. She wants parents walking kids to school to be charged and arrested.
The new policy was created to make student drop-off and pick-up safer, but many parents are outraged at Principal Holly Ray’s harsh enforcement of the rule. Now instead of parents walking kids to school, students are being forced to take the bus, or wait with their parents in car drop-off lanes.
Despite numerous complaints from parents, Principal Holly Ray has been steadfast in standing behind her new policy. She has received the full support of the Magnolia Independent School District and now has Montgomery County Constables enforcing the rule. This extreme action has parents pulling their kids out of the school and even has teachers quitting.
There have already been several citations and warnings against parents walking kids to school. Frank Young, a parent who has been threatened with charges and arrest, said he disagreed with Principal Ray “implying that a parent doesn’t have the ability or capability to decide what is safest for her children.”
Wendy Jarman is another local parent who has a strong opinion on Principal Holly Ray’s policy. Even though Jarman lives right behind the school, she is no longer allowed to walk her kids there. She has pulled her own children out of Bear Branch Elementary and transferred them to a private school.
Jarman says that many parents walking kids to school have already been threatened and cited. “If they step one foot on school property, they will be arrested and charged with who knows what.” Since Principal Holly Ray has the full backing of the Magnolia Independent School District and the County Constables, this action is unlikely to stop.
The benefits of parents walking kids to school are numerous. It is great exercise and allows parents to spend more time with their children. Additionally, studies have shown that parents walking kids to school is safer than driving them. Parents walking kids to school can also reduce stress and increase happiness for kids throughout the school day.
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