Local

Parents angry over daily traffic nightmare outside Windermere Elementary School

WINDERMERE, Fla. — Parents at an East Orange County elementary school said afternoon pickup is a mess and they want the school district to step in to help.

But parents of students at Windermere Elementary School said their requests have fallen on deaf ears.

The traffic issue is so bad that parents like Ladan Foradi need to plan their entire day around picking up their children from school.

City leaders are looking into the issue from a safety perspective, Channel 9 has learned.

"That creates not only a safety issue for the kids, but for our residents as well," said town manager Robert Smith.

Officials are even worried about emergency vehicles getting through the congestion.

Parents said some drivers looking to get around the congestion will even drive into the oncoming lane.

Town leaders said they have been trying to work with Orange County Public Schools for about a year, but those talks have hits some snags.

"There have been some miscommunications in that process," said Smith.

The district says it's working to address traffic issues happening on campus.

"What we would like to see is the local police and the local jurisdiction help us with the traffic situation that's happening outside of our property," said Faz Ali of OCPS.