ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County elementary school had so many students, the district built a second school right next to it.
West Pointe Elementary now sits on the same property as Metrowest Elementary school, making some parents worried about an increase in traffic when school starts in 13 days.
Metrowest has close to 1,700 students last year, which parent Ashley Perez said was a traffic nightmare.
She said she expects it to get worse with another school next door.
“Now, the traffic is going to be horrendous,” she said.
Senior manager of facilities communications Lauren Roth said the district has placed 830 students in each school based on north and south cones.
Parents coming from the north end at Lake Vilma Drive will enter to drop off students at Metrowest Elementary School.
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Parents from the south side of West Pointe Boulevard will drop off students at West Pointe Elementary School.
Roth said the students won’t be dropped off at the same time.
“Those students are now attending two separate schools, which will be starting a half hour apart, and will be entering from two different directions,” she said. “Each school has its own parent loop and bus loop.”
Perez said to avoid possible traffic, she’s opted to put her 6-year-old son in an extended day, meaning he’ll arrive before school starts and leave after school is finished.
Roth said other properties were considered.
“A number of those properties were either unavailable, unsuitable for a school or they were outside Metrowest,” said Roth.
The first day of school is Orange County is August 14.
The district said it urges parents to be patient during the first two weeks of school to allow the schools to adjust to changes.
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Cox Media Group
