Plan ahead: Expect traffic as PSUSD returns to school after storm
With many roads in the Valley still closed, Palm Springs Unified is asking parents to plan ahead when bringing their kids back to school on Thursday.
All PSUSD schools will be back in session, after Tropical Storm Hilary put it on pause for a few days.
“I don't know what to expect. I don't know how many students I'm going to have in my classes tomorrow. So that'll be kind of crazy," said parent and teacher Curtis Goehring.
Goehring has a daughter in the school district and has been a teacher at Palm Springs High School for about 28 years. Fortunately, he doesn’t live too far from campus.
With major road closures at Indian Canyon Drive, Gene Autry Trail and Date Palm Drive, he knows just how bad the drive could be for his students and colleagues.
“I know it's gonna be an issue. There's teachers that commute into our high school from outside the Valley. A lot of students come to our high school from Desert Hot Springs," he explained. "I think for some teachers, you know, just the few routes out of town make are gonna make it crazy. You know, they're one two hour commutes, which should be like 20 minutes, right?”
So what can you do the plan ahead?
Superintendent Tony Signoret encourages to make a game plan the night before.
“We want parents to be patient... make sure to leave early. Don't think that regular travel time is going to work. In some cases, it may be a very smooth route to school and others, you're gonna probably have to go through somewhat of a maze. But leave early," Signoret said.
He encourages parents to plan out any alternate routes. School buses will run on their normal schedules, with some adjustments in certain areas.
Signoret says if you’re taking your kids to school – it’s best to carpool.
“Fewer vehicles out on the road is going to help all of our not only our students and families, but also the cities that are helping us get back to normal," he said.
Signoret tells us all of the schools are accessible. Since it will be bus, he says the city will have someone there to help direct traffic.
For students who live in areas still being impacted by the storm’s aftermath, like in the Panorama neighborhood, he says safety is a top priority.
“I don't want anybody sending their children, if they feel it's unsafe. Getting out of their home for any reason, it's unsafe, then please just contact the school. We're going to have assignments ready, we have some virtual opportunities for kids as well. So we don't want them to miss school, we just don't want them to come to school, if it is a risk," Signoret emphasized.
Even though the storm came just a week and a half after the district’s first day, the superintendent tells us he has no doubt that these schools will be able to bounce back and adapt.
"Really want to do everything possible to continue that wonderful excitement about bringing bringing our kids back. Getting as close to normal. This has been a little bit of a setback, but we're gonna just going to adjust and I'm excited about it."
