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Traffic Woes Begin the 2021-22 School Year



Weekdays at Watauga High are madness. Over 1,200 students try to get into the same building and race to their classes before the tardy bell rings at 8:30 a.m. Many Watauga High parents spend over an hour waiting in the school's car line. During drop-off and pick-up times, cars back up from the high school all the way down onto East King St.


“We have changed the time we leave each morning and the time I pick up every afternoon, to try to figure out which combination is best. So far, each day has been different,” said Karen Fletcher, a parent of a freshman.


Whether students park at the school or get dropped off, the slow traffic affects everyone.


“I have to leave my house earlier this year than I did last year, and wait in line,” said Jensen Moretz, a junior at Watauga High.


Traffic is significantly worse this year than it was last year. On top of that, traffic is even worse at the beginning of the school year. As the summer vibes wear off, traffic speeds up, and students begin adjusting to going back to school.


“We had over 100 new students who enrolled at WHS over the summer, which does potentially add nearly 100 additional cars in the drop-off and pick-up lines each day,” said Rachel Shepard, assistant principal at Watauga.


Ideally, as the year goes on, traffic begins to move faster and parents don’t have to spend so much time waiting in line. However, it only takes one car to stop early and send a domino effect to the last car in line.


To make traffic flow better Ms. Shepherd asks parents to “pull all the way down to the end of the sidewalk, near the rock, before dropping off students”


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