Wylie ISD To Make Changes After 4 Students Hit By Cars Since Beginning Of Year
WYLIE (CBSDFW.COM) — In Wylie, four close calls are four too many.
School leaders are making changes after four bike-riding students were hit by cars heading to or from school — all since the beginning of the year.
Wylie parent Kristen Fueston finds this scary.
"Even with a crossing guard, a child can still be hit... I tell everybody, 'Stop look, pay attention to what you're doing... Please be careful,'" Fueston said.
Other parents have expressed frustration as well.
"I just don't understand how stuff like that can happen," adds James Heefner.
According to Wylie school leaders, there have been two incidents near Wylie East High School, another near Harrison Intermediate and another earlier this week near McMillan Junior High.
Wylie Police Department Sgt. Donald English said he thinks this is a wakeup call for everyone.
"In all of the accidents we've looked at, no one has been speeding, no one has been texting on their phone or talking on their phone," English said. "So they're doing the right things. They're just not being patient and taking the extra initiative to look for a student, or look for a bicyclist."
In addition to the crossing guards that were already in place near Harrison, traffic from the nearby administration building is being restricted and a district staffer now adds an extra set of eyes on the busy area as students come and go.
And while drivers are being encouraged to be more alert, school leaders are sending the same message to students.
"Take the earbuds out of their ears, walk the bikes across — like they're supposed to, wear a helmet," Wylie ISD Supt. David Vinson said. "And [we're] asking moms and dads to remind them the same way, because this is a team effort."
Vinson says he doesn't believe that there's any intent to disregard the safety of the community's students. However, the rapid growth in Wylie has put more people on the roads, and that means allotting more time to reach destinations.
"We're just asking you to pause, be careful and keep our babies safe," Vinson said.