Kids’ safety comes first

My backyard neighbor is All Saints Middle School and Our Lady of Fatima Church, so I can personally attest that schools and in this case, also a church, make good neighbors. Some residents in the vicinity of Jefferson Elementary, located at 37th Avenue and Grand Boulevard, obviously don’t agree with me. There are several yard signs protesting the moving of the school. Jefferson opened in 1908, long before these existing homes were built.

There are 560 students at Jefferson; 150 of these students are in the Montessori program. The protesters have said that the high number of Montessori students will present traffic issues; 150 is not a high number.

Morning and evening commuters, along with a strip mall, have created traffic issues at this intersection. Experience crossing Grand at this corner, either by car or as a pedestrian, between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. or after 4:30 p.m.; if it weren’t for crossing guards before and after school, our children would be in even greater danger.

April is dedicated to “Our Kids: Our Business.” Let’s show that we believe this to be true by allowing Jefferson to expand and move gracefully down to a safer location on property long designated for this purpose.

Nancy C. Duncalfe

Spokane