Chris Chester / Student Safety Supervisor
April 22, 2024
Neff Early Childhood Center Families,
I am Chris Chester, the district's Student Safety Supervisor at Grand Ledge Public Schools, and I am tasked with addressing student safety needs throughout the school district.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to make Neff Early Childhood Center safer, specifically as we work towards adding a secure main entrance. In 2018, Grand Ledge Public Schools passed a bond to create a smarter, stronger, and safer school district. One part of this was an action plan to “provide secure entrances at all schools.” This need at Neff was reaffirmed by a 2022 safety assessment done by local first responders from across Eaton County.
The district administration, Neff building leaders, and Grand Ledge Police Department’s school resource officer met and developed a multi-step process to reach our ultimate goal of a secured main entrance for Neff. Our first goal was to bring all the programs into the building through one single entry point. Next, we added an unloading/loading zone, parking spaces, a crossing guard, and designated drop-off/pickup areas – plus the Neff office was reconfigured.
First, an additional unloading/loading zone for families has been added on the south side of the building on Comet Lane. This new zone should offer approximately six more drop-off/pickup spaces for families. It has sidewalk access that will lead you to Neff’s main entrance.
Second, a parking area designated for Neff was created in front of the stadium on Comet Lane. It has signs and is open for use. This area will accommodate twelve general parking spaces and two additional handicapped parking spaces – all designated explicitly for Neff families. There is a marked crosswalk to the east of this parking area, which will allow you to cross Comet Lane and enter onto a sidewalk that will lead to Neff’s main entry.
Third, there is now a crossing guard assigned to the lighted Jenne Street crosswalk in front of Neff. The City of Grand Ledge, in cooperation with the Grand Ledge Police Department, has assigned the crossing guard to that crosswalk Monday through Friday, from 7:55 AM to 8:35 AM and from 3:10 PM to 3:40 PM. The school district appreciates the City of Grand Ledge and the Grand Ledge Police Department for supporting our need for a crossing guard there during our busy drop-off/pickup times.
Fourth, we have a family drop-off/pickup area now in front of our main entrance for Early Childhood Special Education, Great Start Readiness Program, and Head Start Program; our Little Comets Program will use the buzzer system to get inside. For now, color-coded cones have been placed in front of the main entrance, designating particular program areas for families to drop off and pickup students. Please see your teacher if you have questions as to which color-coded cone is associated with your student’s program. The cones allow us to make adjustments right now, and we may eventually add color-coded lines to the pavement once we have established the areas that work.
Fifth, the main office area has been reconfigured. This will allow easy access to the main office once the secured entry is built. The district will work with architects to design this soon, and we look forward to seeing the plans.
Finally, a couple of important reminders:
- As a family member of a student in any Neff program, if you need to enter the building, please be sure to use the buzzer outside the main doors, make yourself visible to the buzzer camera, wait to be verbally acknowledged by the office staff, and then enter Neff. We are trying to create a secure building, and we want the main office to be able to account for all the people inside Neff. It is inappropriate to just follow other people inside the building; you must get acknowledged by the main office staff first.
- If your Neff program has a specific start time, please try your best to get your child to school on time so our drop-off process can run smoothly. If you are late, please remember to sign your child in at the front office. The staff at Neff appreciate your support in this matter.
If you have questions, comments, and/or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at ChesterC@GLcomets.net or 517-925-5939. Thank you once again for your support in making Neff Early Childhood Center a safe learning environment! I also want to thank the amazing staff at Neff for their patience and flexibility with this project and for communicating with you during our multi-step process.
Thank you,
Chris Chester
Student Safety Supervisor at Grand Ledge Public Schools
Overview Map
