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Carpool

Carpool Guidelines

The following guidelines emphasize the safe and efficient use of the Circular Driveway at West Shore Drive and the Cornell Loop off of Cornell Road.

Carpool at West Shore Drive

  • Family name placards will be provided to each family. The placards should be secured to your vehicles’ passenger side sun visor with bands or clips and displayed for morning drop off and afternoon dismissal. Families who walk to pick up their children should hold their name placard up while waiting.
  • The entrance to the Cornell Loop is adjacent to the intersection of Cornell Road and Dartmouth Street.
  • The Circular Driveway uses a counter-clockwise traffic flow at pick-up and drop-off times.
  • We ask drivers not to pull out of the single file line without traffic flow assistance from school staff.
  • Please observe posted No Parking areas. In addition, please do not park on West Shore Drive between Cornell Road and the far end of our school property. Keeping this area clear keeps pedestrians safe and the carpool lane moving swiftly.
  • Walkers crossing West Shore Drive must use the crosswalk.

 

Carpool at Cornell Road

  • Family name placards will be provided to each family. The placards should be secured to your vehicles’ passenger side sun visor with bands or clips and displayed for morning drop off and afternoon dismissal. Families who walk to pick up their children should hold their name placard up while waiting.

  • The entrance to the Cornell Loop is adjacent to the intersection of Cornell Road and Dartmouth Street.

  • To reduce car traffic on Cornell Road, if you’re coming from the East, we ask that you approach the carpool loop via Colgate Road to Dartmouth Road and turn right into the Cornell Loop.

  • Parking on Cornell Road is not permitted. If you choose to park along the side streets and walk over to school, be mindful of our neighbors. Do not block or encroach upon our neighbor's driveway access. In addition, please remember that parking on corners creates an unsafe driving situation for others. 
  • Walkers will be dismissed to the family pick up area once the dismissal process begins at 3:00. Walkers crossing Cornell Road must use the crosswalk at the Cornell Road/Dartmouth Street intersection.
  • The carpool loop includes two lanes; the right-most lane is the primary, moving lane. When full, the left lane opens as a managed queue. We'll facilitate the merge of the left lane.

 

Important Safety Precautions

Set Phones Aside During Carpool.

Cell phones or other electronic devices for voice or text communication may not be used at any time during carpool.
 

Tower Students Exit the Vehicle via the Passenger Side.

Tower students should sit on the passenger side of the car so that they can safely and quickly enter and exit the passenger side of the car. Pets and children not getting out at Tower should sit on the driver’s side of the car.
 

Turn Your Engines Off In the Carpool Line.

If you arrive early for afternoon carpool and will be waiting for more than five minutes, we ask that you turn your engines off. You'll be in compliance with our state's anti-idling law, and you'll be keeping the air we breathe clean.
 

Please Drive Safely and Respectfully.

Please respect our neighbors’ personal property and the safety needs of children walking to Tower and the Brown School. Please do not make U-turns or use our neighbors’ driveways to turn around.
 

Seat Belts

Tower Faculty will help young children into the car at dismissal. If your child is not yet able to buckle their seat belt, we ask that you pull ahead and buckle the seatbelt for your child. Alternatively, you may pick up your child on-foot and walk to your parked vehicle together.

 

Good to Know

Entrance Hours

The Cornell Loop school entrance is staffed from 7:40–7:55 am and 3:00–3:15 pm. Students entering the building at times other than these, must use our main entrance on West Shore Drive.


Athletics and Drama Dismissal

Pick-ups after athletics and drama happen at Circle at 4:00 or 4:30 pm, as indicated by the coaches and drama teachers.
 

Bicycles

Students riding bikes to school should secure their bikes at the bike racks next to the trail or at the Cornell Loop.
 

Parking along West Shore Drive and Other Neighboring Streets

The capacity at the Cornell Loop creates a safe and expedient experience for our students and everyone in our neighborhood. We ask families not to park on West Shore Drive or Cornell Road.

If you’re approaching Tower from the East, we recommend taking Colgate Road to Dartmouth Road and turn right into the Cornell Loop.