CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Now that school bells are ringing across the area, signaling a return to the classroom, attention once again turns to keeping our kids safe.
While local school districts are doing more to keep intruders off campus, the question remains: Are they also doing enough to make sure students get to school and back home safely?
Not too long ago, the Corpus Christi Independent School District opened the new Carroll High School campus. This raised questions about who would be responsible for putting in a school zone along Saratoga Boulevard.
It was discovered that the task belonged to the Texas Department of Transportation because Saratoga Boulevard is a state-run road. The task took nearly three weeks to get resolved.
School zones signal drivers to slow down, use caution and be alert as they watch for children in the area. That's why some are wondering why a new school building was opened and school zone warnings appeared to have been an afterthought.
CCISD officials declined for an on-camera, but did provide the following statement that reads:
Corpus Christi ISD collaborates with the City of Corpus Christi to share costs and provide input regarding school zone locations. We appreciate the community's patience as we work together to complete this important work to maximize safety at Cullen Place Elementary School.
3NEWS reached out to Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni who sent a crew out Wednesday morning to immediately fix the problem. Corpus Christi Public Works Director Ernesto De La Garza said it's not normal for a school to open without school zones in place.
"Ideally, you would study anticipated impacts before schools open and then provide those school zones," he said.
De La Garza said that typically, the school district will provide a study and analysis of the need, then work with the city to have everything ready to go ahead of time. Moving forward, 3NEWS wanted to know what it would take to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again.
“Ideally, it would be good for the school district to have a transportation planner involved in the development of their schools, and so, we definitely recommend that takes place," he said.
In the meantime, city workers will get everything in place to give students and parents peace of mind.
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