Student Drop-Off* and Pickup

BFA is committed to managing traffic and parking in a safe and effective manner for the benefit of its students and the community. Thus, BFA has prepared a Traffic and Parking Management Plan and Procedures. As a helpful resource, you can view the parking map. If you would like to allow someone else to pick up your student, you can designate that person in the app or email traffic@bfacademy.org well in advance to let the office know. Please note, you can designate how individual students are picked up using the dismissal app. 

As a matter of school policy, please limit the use of electronic devices of any kind, including Bluetooth or other hands-free devices in the areas designated in BFA’s Traffic and Parking Management Plan and Procedures. Further, to ensure the safety of all, a vehicle may not exceed 10 mph on school property at any time for any reason. Parents should not get out of their cars during carpool; if there is an issue, please let a staff member or volunteer know. 

BFA will have two designated loading zones (A and B) for kindergarten through eighth grade student use during pickup at the dismissal of school. BFA also will maintain a separate area designated for pre-kindergarten loading and unloading.

Traffic Carpool Map.

Late Drop-Off*

1. Students should not be dropped off before 7:45 a.m. unless they have tutoring, extracurriculars, or appointments. We have seen an increase in students being dropped off too early. Please note that we offer BASE in the morning and parents should sign their students up for BASE if they need to drop students off early. If a student is dropped off early, we will begin to charge a fee of $10 for the first offense per student, $15 for the second offense and so on.
2. Morning drop-off begins once the doors are “propped” AND staff members are in the crosswalk. You can begin to pull around in Zone A or let your students out of the car in Zone B when you see the doors propped open AND a staff member in the crosswalks. DO NOT let your student out of the car or pull around until you see both. Our goal is 7:45 a.m. but weather, traffic and meetings can alter this time. This process will ensure all our students get out of the cars with no cars moving.
3. This change is now for all Preschool to Grade 8 students and A & B Zones and Preschool. When the doors are closed, your student(s) is late and must be signed in by a parent or guardian. If your student(s) is late, please park and walk into the Main Entrance and sign them in with our Front Office staff. Any student who comes in late without a parent to sign them in will receive an unexcused tardy.

We understand that weather and traffic can cause delays in our morning carpool, which is why we believe the doors “propped and not propped” are an easy visual for our community.

 

When does a Parent need to sign out students?

A Parent or Guardian always needs to sign them in or out of school. Whether they are late, need to leave early or returning from an appointment, parents need to walk their student in and sign them in/out of the front office. Students cannot come in or out of the building without a parent/guardian signing for them.

Volunteer for Carpool

To ensure the safety of its students, BFA will have an adequate number of carpool attendants onsite. BFA requests that families volunteer to assist with drop-off and pickup.

Afternoon Carpool Dismissal Process

If you have not already downloaded the PikMyKid App, please do so at this time. Starting the first day of school, next Wednesday, Aug. 14, we use PikMyKid for afternoon carpool pick-up. We’re excited to use this app and believe it will be an efficient way to manage afternoon carpool. As with any new process, please be patient during the next week as we all work together to fine tune it. 

NOTE: Parents who only have a student in Mrs. Murray’s morning kindergarten class do not need the app this school year.

Parents, please use the PikMyKid link to access all support and FAQ’s for the PikMyKid platform and app. Their website includes videos and documents to help with any questions that you have about the dismissal process.

A couple of notes specific to carpool at BFA:

Carline

• When you/your designee arrives to pick up your student(s), it is imperative that you ensure the ‘Zone’ indicated on the app is the lane you’ve pulled into (A or B line) and that you “Announce” your arrival. Please DO NOT announce your arrival when you are on Plaza as that will only slow the carpool process down. Preschool parents who have a K-8 sibling should announce when they are parked in the preschool lot.
• The PikMyKid system automatically assigns a number–which is what you will see when using the app. This is different from the family number on the carpool tag given to you by the school which will be used for voting/surveys at BFA. Retain your tags and keep them in your car. They will prove helpful to take off your dash/rear-view mirror when your student is loaded in your car, and to flag a staff member if your student did not come out for pick-up.

Support

The PikMyKid Support Team is always available to help you when you have a question. You can contact them at support@pikmykid.com.

Check out of simple tutorial for parents.

*Early Drop-Offs

Students who are not registered for BASE and are dropped off before 7:45 a.m will be charged $10 per student for the first offense and $15 per student for the second offense. Charges will continue to go up by $5 per student after each offense. 

*Late Pick-Ups

Generally, carpool and All Call end by 3:55 p.m. Students who are not registered for BASE and are not picked up by 4 p.m. will be charged $5 per student for the first offense and $10 per student for the second offense. Charges will continue to go up by $5 per student after each offense. Furthermore, students not registered for BASE and not picked up by 4:15 p.m. will be charged an additional $2 per minute, per student beginning at 4:16 p.m.

School Closure Due to Weather

Severe Weather – Afternoon Pick-up Delay

When the weather conditions prohibit a normal release of students during carpool, we will initiate a severe weather dismissal for carpool and will not allow students outside until the weather conditions are safe. During severe weather dismissal, your options are:

1. Park your car in the parking lot and physically come into the school with your dismissal app to sign your child(ren) out. Please do not leave your car while in the carpool line.
2. Enter, stay, and move with the carpool line until your child(ren) are released directly to you at the front of the school.
3. Wait it out wherever you are until the weather passes and students are released.

Please understand that while this procedure will take longer than a regular dismissal, it will ensure the overall safety of our students. Thank you in advance for your support and understanding in the event of a severe weather dismissal.

• A decision to do a “Severe Weather Dismissal” won’t be made until 3:25 p.m. This gives us as much time as possible to see if the severe weather passes.
• Severe weather includes: lightning in the area; heavy rain, hail or snow; or tornado-like conditions.
• We will halt all carpool operations when lightning is within 6 miles of the school, in accordance with DCSD procedures. 
• Please do not make a call to your child’s cell phone asking him/her to exit the building. Your physical presence or that of another approved adult friend/family member, in the building or in carpool is required to release your child.

We will communicate to parents that a severe weather dismissal is in effect. We will try to do this between 3:25 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Please make sure that the school, as well as your student’s homeroom teacher, has your current contact information.

• Please talk to your child about a contingency plan that will come into play if and when a severe weather dismissal occurs.
• Please know that your child will always be safe by waiting at school until you arrive.

Please be patient during weather delays. We know that they are inconvenient and that many families have other places to be after school. Your child’s safety is our priority and we will always exercise caution.

Delayed Start

If it’s been announced that BFA is on a 90-Minute Delayed Start, following is the schedule:

• BASE: Before school care opens at 8:15 a.m. Please do not drop off your child earlier than 8:15 a.m. for before care, as no one will be at BFA to supervise your child.
• Carpool: Carpool on a delayed start day begins at 9:15 a.m.
• School: School starts at 9:45 a.m.
• Half-Day Kindergarten: Morning kindergarten starts at 9:45 a.m. and ends at the normal time. Afternoon kindergarten times do not change – normal start/end times apply.
• Preschool: BFA preschool will open at 9:40 a.m. and dismiss at the normal time. Afternoon times do not change – normal start/end times apply.

***You always have the option of keeping your child home if you feel that the roads are unsafe – even if BFA is open. This will be listed as an excused absence.

Parking

We have lots of spots for parking throughout the day. 

Please ONLY Park in Designated Spots
Please do not park along the curb in the parking lot or in the fire lane. Parking along the curb in the lot prevents others from backing up safely.

In addition, we kindly ask that you refrain from parking in “Reserved Spots” AT ALL TIMES. Please be respectful of the parents, teachers and administration that paid for or earned those spots with their hard work and refrain from parking in any of the reserved slots.