Elementary students in the Shawnee Mission School District will head back to the classrooms on Friday.
And this year, students at Brookwood Elementary School will be moving down the street into a temporary building, as the old building is demolished and rebuilt.
“We are thrilled to keep it here in the neighborhood, but the concerns are obvious. As you can tell from the flow of traffic, we are concerned about the safety of our kids,” said Nathan Knust, whose son is going into fourth grade.
Knust and other parents, like Christie Green, told 41 Action News they are concerned about the traffic in front of the new building. Currently, the speed limit on 103rd Street between Roe and Mission is 40 miles per hour.
They want the city of Overland Park to designate this road as a school speed zone.
“We just want the regular traffic that’s going through here to be aware of the kindergartners through sixth graders. A lot of walkers coming through here,” Green said.
41 Action News spoke with both the city of Leawood and Overland Park. According to the cities, each will provide a crossing guard to help the students cross 103rd Street safely.
Overland Park said it will have police officers patrolling near the school, enforcing speed, seat belt, and turning violations. After Friday, the city said it will evaluate the traffic pattern and determine if the city needs to make additional changes.
The Shawnee Mission School District echoed the city. A communications director told 41 Action News the school district has been working with the Overland Park Police Department. However, school zones are a “city issue.”
“I think it’s great the city is paying attention to this and they are going to be out here doing something. But we are just asking them to meet us halfway and put [a school speed zone] in. But I’m probably going to walk my son the first day,” said Knust.
