Schools

Is Reckless Driving at MVMS Getting Worse?

Traffic at Mill Valley Middle School has always been an issue, but with a recent spike in incidents and a growing study body, what's in store for next year?

The week before before Memorial Day, a Mill Valley Middle School student was riding his bike to school when he was hit by a car.

“Thankfully, he was not seriously injured and was able to return to school after his visit to the ER,” Principal Anna Lazzarini said in an email to parents about a recent increase in reckless driving incidents. “In the past we have also had students with more serious injuries after having been clipped or hit by cars driving quickly near the school.”

As teachers, staff and parents dropping off and picking up their kids all arrive at the middle school in the mornings and afternoons, Sycamore gets backed up and people get impatient. Traffic problems are nothing new at MVMS – and at many of the elementary schools – and last year Lazzarini posted information on the middle school website that encourages car pooling, using alternative drop-off and pick-up areas, and taking the Number 17 bus.

"Every year there's a few incidents," Lazzarini said. "I don't think it's gotten any better, or worse."

However, the study body is growing. There were 977 students this year — about 100 more than last year — and the 2013-2014 enrollment projection is for more than 1,000 students.

“Am I worried about it?” asked Stawberry parent Amy Landers. “Absolutely.”

She has twin boys who are finishing up sixth grade, and over the past year she’s seen many parents speeding and double-parking in the lots, and has witnessed her fair share of name-calling and other rude and disrespectful behavior.

"It's gotten worse this year," she said.

Mill Valley Middle School has done a great job promoting programs like Safe Routes to School that encourage students to walk and ride their bikes, as well as educating parents about carpooling and following traffic rules, Landers said.

In addition to picking up and dropping off at Hauke Park, the Community Center and Tam High, MVMS suggests parents drive to a safe area along Camino Alto, like Safeway and Whole Foods, and have their kids walk the rest of the way.

However, “there are just enough people who don’t give a crap,” Landers said.

The same week that a student was hit by a car, there were two other incidents involving “parents who were recklessly driving, breaking traffic laws, and endangering students and staff,” Lazzarini said in her letter.

When confronted, school officials “have been ignored, bumped by a car, and sworn and told off in an angry fashion,” she said.

“It can get pretty crazy if people aren’t careful,” Lazzarini said.

The school has requested extra police presence in the mornings and afternoons, and every incident staff witnesses will be reported to the police. People are also able to report reckless driving anonymously through an online form on the city’s website.

“We ask,” Lazzarini said, “that you all drive calmly and safely, follow traffic laws, and keep our students and staff safe."

Have you seen reckless driving at Mill Valley Middle School? Let us know what you think about the situation in the comment section


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