Norman district urges parents to obey traffic rules at school

NORMAN — Holly Swanson understands how busy mornings can be when they involve dropping kids off at school on the way to work. "Believe me, I get it,” she said. "And it can be frustrating with the amount of traffic.”

But as principal of Whittier Middle School, Swanson said dropping off and picking up students safely at designated areas on campus trumps the time a driver tries to save by letting students off on unsafe streets.

On March 29, a girl who attends Whittier was taken to Norman Regional Hospital after she was hit by a car moments after being let out on Brooks Street, which is a busy two-lane street. Police say the girl had just left a car that was parked in the school zone between two signs that prohibited stopping.

According to Norman police, a vehicle rear-ended the stopped car the girl had just exited, which bumped the car forward and hit the student as she was walking in front of it. Police say the girl was treated for an arm injury that was not too serious.

The driver of the moving vehicle was cited for not paying attention, and the driver of the stopped car was cited for not obeying a traffic device, according to police reports.

"The incident at Whittier was unusual,” said Roger Brown, assistant superintendent of Norman schools.

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