TAMPA, Fla. — Parents of students at Sulphur Springs K-8 Community School are voicing concerns about students’ safety as they walk to and from school.
They say the school is 100% parent drop off, or walkers, and that it has no school buses, making this an even bigger concern.
Every morning, right around 7 a.m., Earnestine Smith walks her daughter, Artisha, the three quarters of a mile to her school, Sulphur Springs K-8 Community School.
The first part of their walk is usually quiet, but the closer they get to the school, the busier East Waters Avenue gets, and as soon as they enter the actual school zone, Smith says things get dicey.
“The parents either put them out, sometimes in the middle of the street, or on the other side, or whatever,” said Smith.
Over the last four years walking Artisha to school, she has become friends with the crossing guards, and from that corner, every morning she sees students crossing in places without crossing guards, parents using the meat market across the street as a drop off line, and drivers clearly exceeding the 15 mph speed limit in the school zone.
Smith says the worst has already happened.
“A little girl got hit a good month ago from crossing. Luckily, they weren’t speeding when they hit her, she just got whiplash and has to go through therapy and everything.”
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says it currently employs seven crossing guards at Sulphur Springs K-8, including the two at 13th and Waters, where 150-200 students cross each day, including Earnestine’s daughter.
Smith says she’s thought a lot about what could make this area safer, and while the answer seems simple, “Slow down, there’s a school zone right here. Be mindful of the children,” getting people to actually do that is proving to be difficult.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office tells us they’ve placed crossing guards strategically in areas with the most foot traffic around the school.
They say they’re also aware of some parents who aren’t utilizing areas designated as pick-up zones, and they’ve partnered with the Tampa Police Department to educate students and parents about the importance of using the crossing guards.