MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A parent is outraged after witnessing more than a dozen students huddled outside a Shelby County School in the freezing rain.
“These kids get sick and they have to stand out here in the rain and cold,” a Shelby County mom said.
The mom in question didn’t want her name or face on camera but claims she started recording students waiting in the cold at 8:30 a.m., twenty minutes before school starts.
“That’s disgusting,” the mom said.
She says she called the front desk but was told there was no one to watch the kids inside.
“You can not designate anyone to watch these kids in the hallway by the office? There’s plenty of room for all of these kids,” she said.
She shot the camera when it was 30 degrees out.
“The teacher just walked past like they’re not even there, not even concerned.”
She said some students do go in early “if they’re apart of the before and after care program,” which costs $40 a week for the first child and a few more for each subsequent child.
“With my three kids, that’s almost $120 per week,” she said.
Luckily, she can wait with her kids in the car but lots of working parents can’t do that.
“You see all of these babies outside with no hats or gloves. It’s so much that a school can do, and this school is not doing anything,” the mom said.
She says there’s an easy solution.
“You can get a volunteer parent or a staff member that’s just standing around to watch them for ten to fifteen minutes out of the rain.”
Shelby County Schools didn’t comment on the Ross Elementary situation directly, other than saying the first bell is at 9:15 am.
SCS says, in general, schools open 15 minutes before the main opening time. Some may open a bit earlier, depending on the principal and staff members.
SCS says most schools try to open earlier when there’s bad weather. SCS says some schools have volunteers who help watch students before school.
The district says early drop-offs and late pick-ups are serious problems. The district encourages parents to drop their kids off as close to 15 minutes before school as possible, and pick their kids up as soon as possible after school.
