Every weekday afternoon, a familiar frustration unfolds on the street surrounding the Clinton Schools — as parents attempt to pick up their children from the Clinton School District campuses. What should be a quick, safe process has turned into a chaotic daily ordeal that clogs streets, blocks driveways, frustrates residents, and most importantly, creates safety concerns for our students.
Officer Carl Hysom of the Clinton Police Department, who also serves as the district’s School Resource Officer, recently joined Community Spotlight to talk about this problem. Even he admits that “it’s always been pretty chaotic,” but this year, the congestion has reached new extremes — lines stretching from the intermediate and middle schools down 8th Street and all the way out onto Ohio Street. When cars back up onto a state highway, it’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a public safety hazard.
Hysom and other officers are doing what they can — reminding drivers not to block the Banks Motors driveway, asking them to avoid parking on Ohio, and directing traffic when things get gridlocked. But the truth is, this problem extends far beyond what local law enforcement can fix with a few kind reminders. As Officer Hysom pointed out, “there’s just not the infrastructure to handle the traffic.”
And that’s the real issue. Clinton’s school campuses were never designed for the sheer volume of car riders we see today. Between families who prefer not to use buses, changing work schedules, and a rise in student numbers, our pickup lines have grown beyond the capacity of the streets that serve them.
The school district deserves credit for working with police to communicate updates to parents and even sending out reminders through email. But as many parents know — and as Officer Hysom humorously admitted — “if they’re like me, they don’t always check emails.” Signs, markings, and a clearly defined flow of traffic could go a long way toward easing the confusion.
Still, signage alone won’t solve this. Clinton needs a long-term plan that involves all stakeholders: the school district, city engineers, law enforcement, and parents. Whether that means a reconfiguration of parking lots, adding alternative pickup routes, staggering dismissal times, or investing in better road infrastructure — something must change.
Every driver stuck in that line knows the frustration. But every parent also knows the reason they endure it — to pick up their child safely. That’s why this issue matters. Traffic jams aren’t just about inconvenience; they’re about safety, responsibility, and community planning.
It’s time for Clinton’s leaders to sit down together and find a real solution before frustration turns into something worse. Because no family should have to risk safety — or sanity — just to pick up their kids from school.
