Despite the $53 million that went into building the new Children’s Health Stadium at Prosper, planners glossed over one important safety matter when it comes to the student drop-off and golf-cart parking area at Boyer Elementary. Students and others trying to move from the lot find neither the governing city body nor the school district has installed a formal crosswalk or lighted path to protect students from oncoming traffic along West Frontier Parkway.

At the next school board or town safety meeting, the community needs to call for changes to ensure the safety of all students who get dropped off for events at the new stadium.

As the road is heavily trafficked during the hours after the stadium gates open, pedestrians are not finding a safe place to cross the road to the stadium. The heavy traffic puts those crossing the street in danger of injuries, and the district and/or city also sits in danger of lawsuits. Safeguards need to be put in place to prevent disaster. This Aug. 29 issue of the Eagle Express requests both golf cart parking and student pick-up to occur at Boyer Elementary.

It could only cost the district or town a few hundred dollars to implement a crosswalk across two-way West Frontier Parkway. In fact, it only costs approximately $750 to make a striped crosswalk.  Additional lighting via street lamps should also be added, due to the games lasting long after dark. 

With our tradition of seeking excellence, why should the safety of our students be the exception? We have the largest video scoreboard in Texas, so why not have one of the safest stadiums as well?

Students report experiencing trouble trying to cross the street to get to and from the stadium in the heavy traffic prior to and following games. In addition, once students find the path back in the poor lighting, they often have to wait in pitch black for their parents to pick them up in the designated parking lot. 

The most logical solution to the problems would be to first paint a striped crosswalk that meets proper safety standards. Then, have the location manned by a volunteer or paid crossing guard to direct traffic and help students cross the road. Next, the city and/or school district should install small, solar-powered and charged lights along the correct pathway to and from the stadium and the elementary parking lot.

The school district and the city should work together to provide the crosswalk and lights that are needed along West Frontier Parkway between the stadium and Boyer Elementary to protect the safety of any and all students who get dropped off by their parents/ guardians. Parents put the safety of their students in the hands of not only the students themselves, but also the district and the town, and Prosper should honor that.

Editor’s Note: Journalism I guest writer Rusty Joe Gonzales proposed and wrote this editorial on behalf of the Eagle Nation Online editorial board.  Prosper ISD officials report that future plans for the roadway and additional safety measures that require city and district cooperation are planned. ENO journalists will be following up with additional information as more information on this topic comes available.