IDEA Carver Academy officials, parents look to improve student safety after traffic accident

SAN ANTONIO – Parents are worried for their students’ safety after a sixth grader was hit by a passing car outside IDEA Carver Academy.

The student was crossing Hackberry Street during dismissal when she was hit. The problem? There is no school zone warning in that specific area.

Now, school officials and parents are hoping to make changes that will improve student safety.

Principal Chang Yu issued a statement on Thursday, urging parents to do their part to keep their kids safe.

“Parents, do not allow your students to cross the street to be picked up by you for any reason. All students MUST be picked up on campus," said IDEA Carvery Academy Principal Chang Yu.

School officials said the student was hit by a passing car in the southbound lane on her shoulder. She was thrown and fell onto the asphalt street but did not sustain any serious injuries.

The student was evaluated at the scene by paramedics, but the school says she was soon given the all-clear to go home.

Peter McCarthy said he has seen traffic build up on Hackberry during drop-off and pick-up times, so he wasn’t surprised a student was hit.

“The cars that are dropping off and picking up suck up one of the two lanes. There’s a lot of blind side," McCarthy said.

McCarthy said other parents have dropped off their students in the middle of the busy street.

“The kids kind of have to step out into traffic just to see if they can cross the street. It’s dangerous,” he said.

Now, the principal is reminding parents to pick up students only on school grounds.

Below is the statement, in part, from Principal Yu on the incident:

“Hackberry is a public street that does not have school zone lights to warn drivers. We have pushed the city and public works to place appropriate signs and lights and we will continue to push heavily with the assistance of the district to ensure that the city of San Antonio does the right thing soon. As such, any students leaving campus to go to the convenience store during morning drop-off or afternoon dismissal will be given consequences by administration for violation of this school policy. And, I NEED parents to STOP picking up your children across Hackberry Street, as this is a potential liability for your child.”

School officials are urging parents to pick up children on Robinson Place, in front of the school, to prevent similar incidents from happening.

Jeanette Orosco told KSAT she has seen cars speeding down the street but she has not seen any signs on Hackberry to warn drivers to slow down.

“There’s no school zone lights to alert drivers who are coming really fast around the corner,” she said.

Orosco said it’s something that has parents worried.

“I feel like it’s dangerous to the students,” she said.

IDEA Public Schools issued this statement Thursday, claiming the school is working with the city to address the school zone lighting.

“IDEA Public Schools is committed to the safety and well-being of each of our scholars. We are currently working with the city to address proper school zone lighting on Hackberry and expedite a solution as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we have reminded all students and their families that drop-off and pick-up is exclusively on Robinson Place in front of the school. In the meantime, we thank everyone in advance for their patience and urge all drivers to obey traffic and safety rules while in school zones to ensure the safety of our children.”

The school does plan to add officers in place to ensure the safety practices are followed in the area.

A spokesman for District 2 City Council Office said they have requested information from the city’s Department of Developmental Services regarding safety lights and signage.

This isn’t the first time an incident like this has happened in the area.

According to a previous KSAT12 report, 15-year-old Vincent Luna passed away from injuries he suffered after he was hit by a pickup truck while he tried to cross North Hackberry Street in June of 2016.

The driver of the truck stopped to help Luna and police say he was taken to San Antonio Military Medical Center with serious head injuries. He later succumbed to those injuries, officials say.

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Luna had just finished his freshman year at IDEA Carver College Prep at the time of the incident. The school was just a few blocks away.

For more information on the school’s policies, visit the school’s website by clicking here.