School drop-off made safer with the help of students in CAA-Quebec pilot project

A handful of students at Springdale Elementary in Dollard-des-Ormeaux are aiming to make school drop-offs and pickups safer in the province of Quebec.

“Student patrollers,” as they are called, sporting bright yellow vests are participating in a pilot project with Quebec’s Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).

Grade 5 and 6 students are in charge of assisting parents who are dropping their children off at school by car.

The patrollers are in charge of ushering students from the car to the school door, all from the safety of the sidewalk.

“We don’t want kids crossing the parking lot. We don’t want parents going in the wrong direction. By having that structure, the flags, the vests, it ensures a safe process,” Springdale principal Alexandra Desbiens-Leighton said.

The first phase of the pilot project was started in 2019 and involved two main schools, Anne Hébert in Quebec City and Springdale in DDO.

CAA-Quebec says it is currently studying the effectiveness of the project at the two schools for the next two years.

The association is looking to study the effectiveness of the objective.

The hope is to see if school drop-off patrols significantly improve the overall safety of children on the streets around schools.

It also plans to evaluate if it is safe to have young students operate such patrols near busy streets.

“Springdale is an ideal school, the setup is amazing but there are some schools that we have to change the road configurations,” CAA spokesperson Marie-Anne Pasieka said.

If successful CAA plans to expand the school patrol brigade initiative to 20 schools, splitting the program between Montreal and Quebec.

“There is so much more that needs to be implicated before the program opens provincewide. There has to be research done before CAA puts their stamp on this,” Pasieka said.

The programs in DDO have gotten full support from the community, with the local SPVM station jumping on board with assistance.

“The kids are doing this, they are doing something important and significant and give them a certain responsibility, we like the idea,” Station 4 Chief Caroline Alarie said.

Former Springdale principal Diana Martire, who was pivotal in the start of the pilot project, believes the program works.

Now principal at Westpark, she wants to see her school participate.

“The parents and staff do a good job doing a similar model but I think having the student piece in there will be a huge component that is missed,” Martire said.

“Let the kids own the safety and leadership of their own school.”

Pasieka says if all goes well the projects could go provincewide within two years. She adds with all situations being different among schools much, still needs to be put in place before that can happen.

“We need the principals, we need the community, we need the police officers. We need the city when it comes to changing road signs. It’s really a team project,” Pasieka said.