Hays Middle School

Due to the traffic congestion in the mornings and after school, Hays Middle School will make a change to the west parking lot driving pattern. This will take place beginning Tuesday morning.

The entrances to the west parking lot will become one-way both sides. The northwest exit will be the only way to exit the parking lot.

“Our intent is to help decrease congestion in the street, but we needed to wait until we could paint our parking lot to ensure student safety,” HMS Principal Tom Albers said in a message to parents Monday morning. “You will notice white parking/cross walk lines towards the gym entrance. We ask that you drop your student off in the drop off zone as well as pick your student up at the drop off zone on the west side of the parking lot. The drop off zone will allow students to be seen as there will be no parking in the white cross walk area. We ask that you please use caution and be very attentive while in the drop off zone to give right a way to any student walking in the zone. Once you have dropped off your student, please proceed to the northwest exit. There will no longer be any exit ability out of the west parking lot along 29th Street.

“If you enter the east side of the parking lot, it isn’t as important to drop off or pick up your student in the crosswalk as your student can walk to the sidewalk and then head to the gym entrance. Same thing for if you are picking your student up on the east side of the parking lot. We do ask that you do not stop and pick up your student until you have entered the parking lot and get past the Dumpster. ”

The school has made a video to explain the new pickup/drop-off procedure.

“Again, thank you for your patience and please help us as we proceed with this new transition to drop off and pick up the HMS students,” Albers said.  “You may still drop off or pick up as you have in the past if you are dropping your student off on 29th Street, this is only for students who are being dropped off/picked up in the west parking lot. Thank you for helping ensure the safety of all HMS students.”