Community provides BES relocation updates (Q&A) Published May 27, 2015 By Staff Reports 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Parents and students received a sneak peak of Bitburg Elementary School May 18, 2015, during a town hall and tour to prepare for the relocation of Spangdahlem Elementary School starting with the 2015-2016 school year. The relocation is a result of the renovation and expansion of the current SES facility. Plans are in place for more than 500 SES students, faculty and staff members to combine with the Bitburg Elementary School beginning next school year. During the meeting, 52nd Fighter Wing leadership and Department of Defense Dependent Schools administrators provided updates on the plan in regards to traffic flow at the Bitburg schools and the location of bus stops at Spangdahlem Air Base. To assist with traffic flow, the road in front of Bitburg Elementary School has been converted into a one-way street. There will be two lanes of traffic with school buses on the left and personal vehicles in the right lane. Buses will begin to unload at 8:10 a.m., which is the designated drop-off time, and parents will flow behind the buses. The anticipated timeline for Bitburg Elementary School is drop-off at 8:10 a.m., morning meeting at 8:20 a.m., class begins at 8:30 a.m. and release occurs at 2:30 p.m. Although officials are still working on bus routes, the bus stops on Spangdahlem Air Base have been identified. One stop will be located near the school age program and ball field, while the other will be located at the housing office parking lot. Pick-up times for these bus stops have not been identified yet. Following a question and answer session, parents and students received a tour of the school by current students. Below is a compilation of some of the questions asked and answered at the recent town hall: 1. Will kids who don't live on base be able to be brought on Spangdahlem Air Base to catch the bus? A1: Yes, however, it must be consistent. Once you have coordinated with the transportation office, you must use your designated bus stop to help ensure accountability and safety for your children. 2. Will students be assigned to a specific bus stop on base? A2: Yes, students on base will receive a bus pass for a specific stop and will need to use their designated location. 3. I'm concerned about potential incidents of bullying. Are there going to be additional escorts on the buses? A3: It is the bus driver's responsibility to make sure the kids behave, and if they don't, to write a report and turn it in to the principal and the transportation office. Students are also encouraged to self-report situations of concern to their teacher or principal. Since the bus is an extension of the classroom, bullying will not be tolerated just as it isn't tolerated in the classroom or on the playground. There have been no reports of bullying between high school students and elementary students. 4. Since elementary students will be picked up first in the afternoon, how long will elementary students have to wait on the bus before picking up the high school students? A4: We have worked really hard to minimize the time on the bus before it gets loaded by high school students. Currently, we estimate it will take 10 to 12 minutes from the time elementary students load the bus, travel to the high school and wait for those students to load the bus. 5. What about in the morning time... since high school students are dropped off first, how long will the elementary students be on the bus while they wait for the designated drop-off time at 8:10 a.m.? A5: We are continuing to work on bus routes and strive to have the least amount of time sitting on a bus as possible. We don't anticipate that there will be a long wait for elementary students in the morning after the high school students are dropped off. If there are concerns once we begin school, we will go back and address. 6. How will lunches work and how long will they be? A6: We are still working to determine if there will be two or three lunch schedules. But, with two lines working, the lunch room can accommodate up to 350 students at a time. There will be ample time during lunch for students to eat and have time for recess. 7. What if the weather is bad - how will procedures work? A7: The procedures during inclement weather conditions will work the same. We strive to notify parents as soon as a decision is made to delay or close school. The safety of our students is a responsibility we take very seriously and consider several factors when cancelling or delaying school. If parents are not comfortable sending their children to school due to inclement weather they should notify the school. 8. Are the empty buildings on Bitburg being checked? A8: Yes, security forces will maintain a presence on Bitburg. They will continue to control entry access and patrol the base. The same security posture and planning that is conducted at Spangdahlem is also done for Bitburg. 9. Is there going to be medical care available on Bitburg, and in case of an emergency, what hospital will my child be taken to? A9: The fire department will be on base to provide immediate care as needed. First responders on the scene will determine what treatment the child needs and the decision for what hospital to send the child to. 10. I heard this move to Bitburg is only happening for a year, and then students will move back to Spangdahlem? A10: Although we would love to have all of our students back on Spangdahlem, the current plan is that students will be on Bitburg until the renovations and additions at Spangdahlem are complete. We continue to look at options to bring them back earlier than planned, but it is too soon to discuss these ideas before they have been considered by all parties involved.