TULSA, Okla. — A parking conflict near Grissom Elementary School has escalated into safety concerns for both neighbors and parents, with 75 residents signing a petition about congestion in the area where parents drop off their children.
The dispute centers around 66th Street, where parents park in front of residential homes during school pickup and drop-off times, creating what neighbors describe as dangerous congestion.
"I feel bad for all parties involved. There is really no solution. This is like Wrigley Field," said Daniel Stockley, a resident near Grissom.
Parents report hostile interactions with neighbors during the daily school routine.
"Oh goodness. They scream at them, they curse at them, they turn their sprinklers on when it's cold outside," said Shelley Cadamy, a Grissom parent.
Cadamy has been a parent at Grissom Elementary since 2011 and said the pickup and drop-off process ran smoothly until neighbors began complaining to children at the school, city councilors, Tulsa Public Schools and the mayor's office.
Now that school is back in session, four new no-parking zone signs have been installed near the school where parents are prohibited from picking up and dropping off their children.
Stockley said the new signs are a step in the right direction for safety reasons.
"I can't get out of my driveway. More importantly is if there was an emergency vehicle, they would be incapable of coming down this street," Stockley said.
Multiple neighbors across the street from the elementary school said they understand parents' frustration about limited parking at the school, but residents need to be able to access their homes.
Tulsa Public Schools issued a statement to Grissom parents saying, "It is imperative that we work together to ensure our students who are car riders are dropped off and picked up from the car line only every day."
Cadamy expressed concern that the restrictions could make school attendance more difficult for families.
"I think the last thing that I would want the TPS leadership to do is make it harder, especially when I get a text every two days about attendance, is make it harder for parents to get their kids to school," Cadamy said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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