Changes Coming To Drop-Off Area At Forestview Middle School

Parents and guardians of students at Forestview Middle School will soon have an easier time dropping off and picking up students at the busy school in Baxter.

The Brainerd Public Schools Board of Education has came up with a plan to redesign the drop-off system at Forestview Middle School, which has long been prone to bottlenecks and getting backed up. Instead of one single drop-off location at the school, a second will be added on the north side of the building to decrease traffic.

“When Forestview Middle School was built there was a drop-off and pick-up idea and plan in the front of the building, and what’s happened during that period of time is the fact that many more people are dropping off their children and picking them up each day,” said Laine Larson, Brainerd Public Schools Superintendent. “So the stacking that we had available isn’t enough to accommodate the needs that we have today.”

In addition to the added drop-off location, the current pick-up and drop-off site at the center of the building will undergo a makeover, adding two access points for a one-way entrance and a one-way exit to the two-lane horseshoe configuration. This will allow for a smoother route for cars to enter and exit the school parking lot.

“Right now it’s kind of a smaller loop, and what each of these is going to have now is two lanes going in one way, and so some will park all the way and we’ll have stacking all the way up to where this orange is, and other people that have picked up their children or dropped them off can keep driving and can enter out either going left or going right,” explained Larson.

The Brainerd School Board will vote on the reconstruction plan at their next board meeting. They hope to start construction on the parking lot this summer so it is ready for the start of the new school year in the fall.