Dear TMS families,
While we’ve had a great start to the school year, several parents and community members have expressed concern about car traffic during afternoon pick-up. Due to the high traffic volume, we have been unable to get all cars off of East Main Street into our parking lot/pick-up area. Traffic has been backing up onto East Main Street causing a potentially dangerous situation.
We have consulted with the Town of Thurmont, the Thurmont Police, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and others regarding this concern.
Effective Monday, October 8, cars will no longer be able to access the front of the building to pick-up car riders. Instead, all car rider pick-ups will be in the side parking lot off Summit Avenue as well as the designated parking spaces on Summit Avenue.
There will be three different locations to park and wait for students. The first is the staff parking lot. If this location is full, you can park along Summit Avenue.
To help ensure safety, TMS staff will be in the staff lot helping students cross into the car pick up line and dismissing cars parked in this area; please pay close attention to their guidance. TMS staff and law enforcement will be highly visible next week helping with the transition to this new pick up procedure. During the transition, I ask for your patience and understanding.
Finally, please note that the Town of Thurmont prohibits U-turns on Summit Avenue. If you park on Summit Avenue you will need to drive to the end of Summit Avenue and turn onto Woodland Avenue.
This change is meant to ensure the safety of our students and families. We hope it will also alleviate traffic back-ups on East Main Street and speed up the car rider pick up process.
Thank you for your patience and support
Sincerely,
Daniel L. Enck
Principal
