Elementary School Student Dismissal & Visitor Parking Initiative

Elementary School Student Dismissal & Visitor Parking Initiative

Dear Dundee Elementary School Families,

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, we are implementing an important change to our elementary dismissal procedures. This change is necessary to maintain a safe, orderly, and secure environment for our students, families, and staff while we continue the extensive work associated with our Capital Project.

Beginning this school year, parents, guardians, and family members will not be permitted to park on school grounds or remain on school property for the purpose of picking up an elementary student prior to 2:30 p.m.

This decision has been made for several important reasons.

First and foremost, student safety must remain our highest priority. We have expanded transportation services within the village, which has resulted in additional buses, vehicles, students, and staff moving throughout the campus during the afternoon. Limiting the number of vehicles and individuals on school grounds before dismissal will allow us to maintain a safer and more controlled environment.

Second, our ongoing Capital Project has significantly reduced the amount of available parking and usable space on campus. Construction areas, equipment, contractors, and temporary traffic patterns require us to carefully manage the movement of people and vehicles. Space that may have previously been available for families to park and wait is now necessary for construction operations and safe student movement.

We have also observed families arriving significantly earlier than dismissal and waiting on school property for extended periods of time. In some instances, vehicles have arrived as early as 1:00 p.m. for a 2:35 p.m. dismissal. While we understand that families are attempting to make dismissal as convenient as possible, this practice creates substantial challenges for campus safety, traffic flow, available parking, and emergency access.

We are asking families to arrive no earlier than 2:30 p.m. when picking up an elementary student. This will help us preserve appropriate emergency access, reduce congestion, protect construction areas, and ensure that our students can be dismissed in a safe and organized manner.

This initiative is not intended to inconvenience our families or discourage parents and guardians from being involved in their children's education. Rather, it is a necessary measure to help us navigate an unusually complex school year while construction is occurring throughout our campus and transportation patterns are changing.

We appreciate your patience, cooperation, and understanding as we work through this period of significant improvement at Dundee Central School. The Capital Project represents a substantial investment in our students and our school community, and we are committed to completing this work while maintaining the safest possible environment for everyone.

Thank you for helping us make student safety a shared responsibility.

Sincerely,