GROVES — Police in Groves will be on hand in the upcoming days to keep an eye on school traffic at Groves Elementary School.

“We have had a particular problem. A crossing guard at that intersection (39^th Street and Cleveland Avenue) expressed concern before school event started and now parents are dropping kids off across 39^th Street at the convenience store parking lot and they walk across the street to the school,” Groves City Marshal Norman Reynolds Jr. said. “They are not only doing that when the crossing guard is there but before. We’ve been watching and thought it was gong pretty smooth.”

Jill Baillie, who has a child attending the school, said she has watched as parents dropped their children off across the street instead of driving through the designated drop-off line. She’s worried about the safety of the students and contacted Groves Police Department, Groves City Manager and the school, she said.

“The situation is getting pretty serious at Groves Elementary,” Baillie said. “Parents are not following procedures and are dropping their children off on 39^th Street. They have no qualms about putting their kids out in the middle of two lanes of traffic, sometimes at 7:15 or 7:30 a.m. The storeowner has been going out every morning telling them not to do it. This morning (Friday) was the final straw for me. It’s mind boggling that a parent or guardian would jeopardize their children’s life.”

Baillie said she also saw the crossing guard totally lose control of a traffic situation where seven vehicles tried to leave the school at the same time, avoiding the guard’s directions.

The mother said she has no qualms about being out at the site with a poster and walking the streets to keep the students safe. She also is ready to take down license plate numbers.

“People can just go through the line. It takes 10 minutes,” she said.

Mary Meaux: 409-721-2429

Twitter: @MaryMeauxPANews