It’s been a busy summer here at Allen County Board of DD, with some major changes happening in our parking lot. When Marimor School ended for summer, construction began. I’m lucky enough to sit near a window in our office, so I had a front row seat to the progress. The large machines, beeps, and rattles sort of became my background music. One day, the construction shook the building enough to knock a light cover down! (No one was harmed.)
So what was the construction all about? The Allen County Board of DD changed our parking lot for the safety of entering the Marimor School building. Our parking lot provides access to Marimor School, the Administration building, and Allen County ESC’s Preschool, which uses space on our campus. In the past few years, the flow of traffic on our campus has changed, along with business operations and – maybe most importantly – our school safety needs. We want to ensure that visitors can easily access the school building through the secure front doors only. We also want to better accommodate parents picking up students. Because of these changes, there are new guidelines for visiting our campus – which you can see below.
This is especially important if you are a parent of a student who attends Marimor School or a young child who attends the Allen County ESC Preschool.
You can now enter and exit the parking lot at the East entrance.
You can no longer park on the east side of Marimor School. Instead, you can park in front of Marimor School. The east area will be the future home of the All Ability Playground!
ESC Preschool parents who stay in the car while picking up and dropping off students: you will still need to drive in a loop around the Admininstration building to arrive at the ESC Preschool hallway doors. Also, while you are waiting in your car, please make sure the sidewalks are clear. Many staff members have to walk through this area, and we need to make sure it’s safe and accessible.
If you enter the Marimor School building for any reason, you have to sign in at the front office. Marimor School parents, please sign in at the first window with Joyce D. Preschool parents, please sign in at the second window with Sherri N.
If you enter the building to drop off and pick up your child, please sign in at the front desk and then wait in the lobby. Your child’s teacher will bring him or her to you in the lobby. Please do not walk to the classrooms to drop off or pick up your child.
If our receptionists do not know the person asking to gain access to the building, we may have to come out to check ID. While we know this may be a hassle, you really want us to have these safety measures in place for all our children!
As always, we have an Open Door Policy, and you are welcome to visit your child’s classroom during the school day. Again, please sign in at the front office. It also helps to let your child’s teacher know when you plan to come in.
If someone else is picking your child up from school or preschool, their name must be on the approved list. If we do not know the person picking up your child, we will ask to see his or her ID.
When coming to the Administration building, please park in front of the building and sign in at the front desk with Sherri B.
We appreciate your understanding as we implement these changes. Every action we take is to keep your child – and every child – safe. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.