HOUSTON – Parents at Piney Point Elementary School in southwest Houston are spending up to two or three hours waiting to pick up their children.
They’re getting there early after a new pick up procedure implemented by the school’s new principal isn’t working as planned, according to parents.
The change, which funnels most students through the front doors instead of using multiple designated exits for different groups, has created what parents describe as “pandemonium” during the first week of school.
“The first day was very horrible,” said Alma Hernandez, a parent at Piney Point Elementary.
The situation showed little improvement on the second day of classes.
Another parent, Aime Alaniz, who has had kids move through the school for the better part of a decade, expressed disappointment with the new system.
“We had high expectations because there’s a new principal this year and it all went downhill on the first day,” Alaniz said.
The new dismissal procedure marks a significant departure from previous years when the school utilized multiple exits - separate ones for walkers, bus riders, and parent pickup students.
According to parents, the consolidation of these exit points has created significant congestion at the school’s main entrance.
The chaotic situation has forced parents to dramatically adjust their schedules.
Many are now arriving hours before the 3 p.m. dismissal time. Alaniz, for instance, has started arriving at 1 p.m., a full two hours early, to ensure she can pick up her child without getting caught in the worst of the congestion.
School district officials acknowledge the challenges with the new pickup plan and say they are working to refine the process.
“Piney Point students were dismissed on time Tuesday,” an HISD spokesperson told KPRC 2 in a written statement. “Since the first day of school, the campus has since refined its pickup plan to improve clarity and efficiency for families. These adjustments have already resulted in a smoother process, and we will continue supporting the campus to ensure dismissal systems are well-organized.”
Their efforts appear to be yielding results as on Thursday, the pick up line was moving quickly.
