Student Drop-Off and Pickup

BFA is committed to managing traffic and parking in a safe and effective manner for the benefit of its students and the community. Thus, BFA has prepared a Traffic and Parking Management Plan and Procedures. As a helpful resource, you can view the parking map. If you would like to allow someone else to pick up your student, you can designate that person in the app or email traffic@bfacademy.org well in advance to let the office know. Please note, you can designate how individual students are picked up using the dismissal app. 

As a matter of school policy, please limit the use of electronic devices of any kind, including Bluetooth or other hands-free devices in the areas designated in BFA’s Traffic and Parking Management Plan and Procedures. Further, to ensure the safety of all, a vehicle may not exceed 10 mph on school property at any time for any reason. Parents should not get out of their cars during carpool; if there is an issue, please let a staff member or volunteer know. 

BFA will have two designated loading zones (A and B) for kindergarten through eighth grade student use during pickup at the dismissal of school. BFA also will maintain a separate area designated for pre-kindergarten loading and unloading.

Traffic Carpool Map.

Volunteer for Carpool

To ensure the safety of its students, BFA will have an adequate number of carpool attendants onsite. BFA requests that families volunteer to assist with drop-off and pickup.

Afternoon Carpool Dismissal Process

If you have not already downloaded the PikMyKid App, please do so at this time. Starting the first day of school, next Wednesday, Aug. 14, we use PikMyKid for afternoon carpool pick-up. We’re excited to use this app and believe it will be an efficient way to manage afternoon carpool. As with any new process, please be patient during the next week as we all work together to fine tune it. 

NOTE: Parents who only have a student in Mrs. Murray’s morning kindergarten class do not need the app this school year.

Parents, please use the PikMyKid link to access all support and FAQ’s for the PikMyKid platform and app. Their website includes videos and documents to help with any questions that you have about the dismissal process.

A couple of notes specific to carpool at BFA:

Carline

• When you/your designee arrives to pick up your student(s), it is imperative that you ensure the ‘Zone’ indicated on the app is the lane you’ve pulled into (A or B line) and that you “Announce” your arrival. Please DO NOT announce your arrival when you are on Plaza as that will only slow the carpool process down. Preschool parents who have a K-8 sibling should announce when they are parked in the preschool lot.
• The PikMyKid system automatically assigns a number–which is what you will see when using the app. This is different from the family number on the carpool tag given to you by the school which will be used for voting/surveys at BFA. Retain your tags and keep them in your car. They will prove helpful to take off your dash/rear-view mirror when your student is loaded in your car, and to flag a staff member if your student did not come out for pick-up.

Support

The PikMyKid Support Team is always available to help you when you have a question. You can contact them at support@pikmykid.com.

Check out of simple tutorial for parents.

*Late Pick-Ups

Generally, carpool and All Call end by 3:55 p.m. Students who are not registered for BASE and are not picked up by 4 p.m. will be charged $5 per student for the first offense and $10 per student for the second offense. Charges will continue to go up by $5 per student after each offense. Furthermore, students not registered for BASE and not picked up by 4:15 p.m. will be charged an additional $2 per minute, per student beginning at 4:16 p.m.

Parking

Please ONLY Park in Designated Spots
Please do not park along the curb in the parking lot or in the fire lane. Parking along the curb in the lot prevents others from backing up safely.

In addition, we kindly ask that you refrain from parking in reserved spots AT ALL TIMES. Please be respectful of the parents, teachers and administration that paid for or earned those spots with their hard work and refrain from parking in any of the reserved slots.

Delayed Start

If it’s been announced that BFA is on a 90-Minute Delayed Start, following is the schedule:

• BASE: Before school care opens at 8:15 a.m. Please do not drop off your child earlier than 8:15 a.m. for before care, as no one will be at BFA to supervise your child.
• Carpool: Carpool on a delayed start day begins at 9:15 a.m.
• School: School starts at 9:45 a.m.
• Half-Day Kindergarten: Morning kindergarten starts at 9:45 a.m. and ends at the normal time. Afternoon kindergarten times do not change – normal start/end times apply.
• Preschool: BFA preschool will open at 9:40 a.m. and dismiss at the normal time. Afternoon times do not change – normal start/end times apply.

***You always have the option of keeping your child home if you feel that the roads are unsafe – even if BFA is open. This will be listed as an excused absence.

School Closure Due to Weather

Severe Weather – Afternoon Pick-up Delay

When the weather conditions prohibit a normal release of students during carpool, we will initiate a severe weather dismissal for carpool and will not allow students outside until the weather conditions are safe. During severe weather dismissal, your options are:

1. Park your car in the parking lot and physically come into the school with your dismissal app to sign your child(ren) out. Please do not leave your car while in the carpool line.
2. Enter, stay, and move with the carpool line until your child(ren) are released directly to you at the front of the school.
3. Wait it out wherever you are until the weather passes and students are released.

Please understand that while this procedure will take longer than a regular dismissal, it will ensure the overall safety of our students. Thank you in advance for your support and understanding in the event of a severe weather dismissal.

• A decision to do a “Severe Weather Dismissal” won’t be made until 3:25 p.m. This gives us as much time as possible to see if the severe weather passes.
• Severe weather includes: lightning in the area; heavy rain, hail or snow; or tornado-like conditions.
• We will halt all carpool operations when lightning is within 6 miles of the school, in accordance with DCSD procedures. 
• Please do not make a call to your child’s cell phone asking him/her to exit the building. Your physical presence or that of another approved adult friend/family member, in the building or in carpool is required to release your child.

We will communicate to parents that a severe weather dismissal is in effect. We will try to do this between 3:25 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Please make sure that the school, as well as your student’s homeroom teacher, has your current contact information.

• Please talk to your child about a contingency plan that will come into play if and when a severe weather dismissal occurs.
• Please know that your child will always be safe by waiting at school until you arrive.

Please be patient during weather delays. We know that they are inconvenient and that many families have other places to be after school. Your child’s safety is our priority and we will always exercise caution.