McKinley Morning Drop Off Procedures Description

Drop Off Procedures Map

Students eating breakfast may enter campus via the Arizona gate beginning at 8:00am. The office entrance is for visitors, volunteers, and staff only. Please do not drop off children prior to 8:00am as the school is not yet open and there is no supervision. 

From 8:15-8:30am students may enter campus at any of the open gates: the Arizona, Parking Lot, and Courtyard Gates.  TK/K may enter via the TK/K Gate. 

Parents may also utilize the Car Drop-Off system through the parking lot. Students being dropped off via car may enter via the Courtyard Gate or TK/K Gate.

A McKinley staff member will be present at gates as a Gate Monitor.

The gates are student-only access, so adults say farewell to their child at the gate and students enter campus on their own.

When students enter campus there is no play on the playground before school. This is for students’ safety. Students go directly to their class line up area and wait to be picked up by their teacher.

McKinley staff members are supervising on the yards (8:15-8:30am) and in the cafeteria (8:00-8:20am). Morning campus monitors and gate monitors are composed of Instructional Assistants, Paraeducators, Campus Supervisors, Teachers, and Administration, who all also work on campus during regular school hours.

Gates are locked promptly at 8:30am and after that time students enter through the main office and get a tardy slip. Instruction begins promptly at 8:30am. 

Adults coming onto campus for volunteering, parent teacher conferences, group/committee meetings, school events, follow the SMMUSD Visitor Policy. 

Special/Alternate Morning Procedures may occur for special events or schoolwide functions such as the first day of school, jog-a-thon, sing-a-long, graduation etc.  The school will provide information to parents in such situations.

Dismissal/Pick-Up Procedures

Pick Up Procedures Map

The gates open promptly at the end-of-school day bell and remain open for 10 minutes for pick-up. 

McKinley has implemented a staggered dismissal to benefit the flow of traffic, and to increase student safety. Parents with students in multiple grade levels must make arrangements to pick up their children at their assigned dismissal times; there is not supervision for siblings between dismissal times.

Assigned gates by grade level are also utilized so that staff can better see who each student is being dismissed to, and to reduce crowding at individual gates, for student safety.

TK/K- Chelsea Ave. 

1^st- Parking Lot

2^nd- Arizona Garden

3^rd- Parking Lot

4^th- Arizona

5^th- Arizona Garden

There is no drive-through pick-up lane during dismissal. Cars may park on Arizona for a 10 minute limit, or park in the staff parking lot for dismissal time only. This is temporary until the construction on the new designated drop-off and pick-up lane off Chelsea Ave is complete. 

Parents may choose to let their child walk/bike home on their own; parents should note this on the Emergency Card.

Any students on campus after school must be enrolled in one of the after school programs with CREST, SAP, Boys and Girls Club, or the school. The students enrolled in these programs go directly there at the end-of-day bell and sign-in to the program. TK/K students are picked up by their program. That program and their staff is then in charge of the supervision, safety, and learning of their students.  If you have any questions or concerns with things that occur after school during one of these programs, please contact that program directly as they are separate from the school. Students not enrolled in after school programs cannot play on the playground even if their parent is present.  Parents who would like their child to have access to the playground after school, may sign them up for an after school program. The school playground is also open to the public on weekends and local parks are open daily.

Staff Parking Lot

Parking Lot Behavior Expectations

The parking lot is for staff only before and during the school day; there is no parking for parents or volunteers. There is limited parking around the school, so please plan enough time to locate parking and read street signs carefully. Parking in the staff lot is permitted for 10 minutes during pick-up dismissal time only. 

Any cars that are double parked, illegally blocking fire lanes, or illegally parked in handicapped spots will be towed at the owner’s expense. Any cars not identified as staff cars parked in the lot will be towed at the owner’s expense.

For special school events there may be parking on the playground.

SMMUSD Visitor Policy
Procedures when entering/exiting campus:

1. Enter via the main office.
2. Office staff will ask the reason for the visit. Visitors must have a previously arranged, and administrator/designee approved reason, for being on campus. Surprise/drop-in attempts to volunteer or visit classrooms are not permitted. The office will call the teacher to notify them of the visitor’s arrival and confirm the visit/volunteering.
3. The office will ask the visitor for their driver’s license (or other government issued identification), and the Raptor computer system will scan the ID. A sticker badge will be printed showing the ID picture, the date, time, school name, and campus location of the visit.
4. Visitors will place the sticker badge on their body in a visible location. Students have been taught to let a teacher know if they see someone without a badge.  If adults see someone without a badge (all staff wear a badge as well) they should immediately inform the office.  Badges must be worn at all times during a visit.
5. The office will buzz in the visitor.
6. Visitors must go directly to the volunteer classroom/location, and upon finishing, return directly to the office. Visitors are not permitted to go to other locations on campus if it has not been previously arranged.
7. When leaving campus the sticker badge may be returned to the office and the office staff will sign the visitor out via the Raptor system. Exit campus through the main office. It is important to check out with the office staff so the office is aware of all individuals on campus in the case of an emergency.

• Even if the office knows the parent or visitor, all individuals visiting or volunteering must follow these procedures for the safety of the campus.
• When volunteering first thing in the morning, please drop your child off at the gate and then go to the office to follow these procedures. Do not go straight to the classroom; volunteers need to sign in and get a sticker badge.
• Raptor badge system for campus safety so that we know who, when, where, and why everyone is on campus. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system, and in the event of a match, Raptor notifies designated school officials.  No other data from the ID is gathered and no data will be shared with any outside company or organization. For large schoolwide events, and events open to the public, a paper check-in system may be used if the Raptor system creates an excessive delay. 

Volunteering: Parents must attend a Volunteer Orientation and complete the required Volunteer Application to be permitted to volunteer. The Volunteer Application is downloadable from the school website and may be turned in to the office. Applications are approved by the nurse and administration, and cleared applications are valid for 4 years. 

Observations: All observations must be scheduled with administration in advance, and are 20 minutes unless approved by the administration for longer.

Thank you for your assistance in helping to keep our campus safe.