Louisiana Laws Govern Parents in Car Rider Lines

The rules concerning picking up and dropping off children from schools changed last year.

As of August 1, 2023, a new law went into effect that impacts every child in school and every parent or guardian who takes them back and forth to school according to a report by WAFB.

Things might be slower, but the whole goal of changing the rules is to offer our children the best options for safety while getting to school and getting back home.

The changes are part of the 'Safe Path from School Act' which requires things like those school employees working the car rider line to wear vests.

Parents need to pay attention to the rules as they will have to instruct their children about what they can and can not do. In addition, parents will need to understand the law themselves so when they are in the car rider line they know what to expect.

According to the act, there are several provisions that are all about improving safety. Here are four major tenets of the law:

• Students must remain behind a physical barrier until they enter a separate pick-up area.
• No student shall enter the pick-up area until the vehicle picking him up is in park.
• A school employee working in the pick-up area in any capacity shall wear a traffic vest.
• A student under the age of ten years old shall be accompanied by a school employee while he is walking to and from a vehicle.

These rules were part of a new law that passed in the 2023 Legislative Session, and then it was signed into law by Governor John Bel Edwards.