School Arrival and Dismissal Procedures: Talking Points for Addressing Pushback

Changes to school arrival and dismissal procedures can generate questions and pushback, particularly when new processes add time, change familiar routines, or require families to follow additional steps.

This downloadable resource provides practical talking points school safety leaders can adapt when discussing arrival and dismissal changes with families, administrators, school boards, and other stakeholders.

What's Included

The resource includes talking points covering:

• Positive student identification and unauthorized pickups
• Custody and no-contact situations
• Separation of vehicles and pedestrians
• Adult supervision
• Controlled access and accountability
• Emergency preparedness
• The role of prevention in school safety
• Improving efficiency without removing safeguards
• Responses to common questions and concerns
• Key messages for school boards and district leaders

Developed Through an NCSSD Practitioner Discussion

This resource grew out of a National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD) member discussion after one school safety leader asked colleagues for help preparing to address concerns about a new arrival and dismissal procedure.

Floyd Evans, safety and security officer and video coordinator with Bellwood School District 88 in suburban Chicago, shared a set of talking points for explaining the safety considerations behind the changes and responding to common concerns.

The talking points have been lightly edited for clarity and formatting and are intended to be adapted to reflect each school or district's specific procedures and circumstances.

Access the Resource

This resource is available to NCSSD members and School Security Leadership subscribers.

Download the talking points to help prepare for conversations about new or revised school arrival and dismissal procedures.