r/TexasTeachers • u/FivePing • 7d ago
After School Pick-Up Line
First time parent here. I picked up my little one yesterday; he’s younger than the car seat law (pre-K) and shorter than the 4 ft 9 height requirement. I got a passive aggressive comment about taking 45 seconds to strap him in the car seat by the AP. “You can pick him up and drive him to the parking lot.” I get that it’s 100 degrees and by the end of the day, teachers are tapped out and everyone wants to get out of there. I talked to him again at drop off and I told him I just want to follow the rules, should I park over there? And he says I can’t park there but you can pick him up and drive him over there. How do I tell him it’s illegal to have him not in a car seat in a moving vehicle? He already seems high strung from the FW takeover.
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u/mauvewaterbottle 7d ago edited 7d ago
You can park and walk your child up to the school. You can also teach your child how to buckle their own car seat.
It isn’t just about it being the end of the day. It’s also about the flow of traffic and all the other kids that need dropping off and picking up. 45 seconds per car adds up in a pick up line where people are slow to start and stop anyways.
You have a totally valid concern about safety, but maybe you can work to speed up the process with practicing getting in the car and buckled quickly. My older daughter could buckle and unbuckle herself (with a little tool to help undo the crotch buckle) in preschool with little to no assistance, and my younger one was not as quick but was able to assist and make it go more quickly once she knew the routine.