Arrival Procedures and Safety

  • Due to ongoing updates, please refer to the Dows Lane Buzz emails for the most up-to-date information.

    Absences and Lateness:

    If your child is going to be absent or late for any reason, you must call the Dows Lane Main Office at 914-591-6012 to report the reason for your child’s absence or lateness. For health related absences and/or to make the nurse aware of a health related issue that may impact your child’s day, please call Nurse Fleming at 914-269-5150.

    Attendance Improvement Plan:

    • Students with 4 unexcused late or absent days in a marking period, will receive an email from the classroom teacher, alerting the family to our concern.
    • Monthly attendance reports will be run in the office to keep track of students with 4 or more unexcused late or absent days in a marking period.
    • Students with 5 unexcused late or absent days in a marking period, will receive a letter from the principal. Gina Menendez, District Social Worker, will check in with the family/ student.
    • Students with 6 or more unexcused late or absent days in a marking period, will receive a phone call from Gina Menendez, District Social Worker, to communicate our concern and/or set up a meeting in school.
    • In addition, a letter about attendance and/or tardy concerns will be sent to families before each marking period ends. The final attendance with absences and tardies will be on the progress reports.

    Arrival Procedures:  

    Starting at 7:40 AM, children may enter the building through the main Dows Lane entrance and proceed to classrooms with hallway supervision. Classes begin at 8:00 AM. 

    By Bus:  We encourage all students, who are eligible to take the bus. It is a safe and timely way to arrive at school. Buses begin to arrive at 7:40 AM. Students are dropped off at the curb and Dows Lane staff are present to assist with arrival.  

    By Car: If you are driving your child to school, safety is a priority. We ask for your patience and consideration during drop off. Please watch for children exiting cars and staff members directing traffic. All students should exit cars from the right side car door, and step onto the sidewalk. Students should not be dropped off on the parking lot side, or from the back of a vehicle. Please practice with your child, so they can get out of the car independently, and you can drop off in a safe and timely manner, and others can drop off too.

    • Car drop off begins at 7:50am  
    • Please pull up as far as you can along the sidewalk with your child exiting curbside only
    • The first few weeks of school, we understand if you need to get out of your car to help your child exit on the sidewalk side. By the second or third week of school, we will start to ask families to stay in their cars, have their child/children exit on the sidewalk side, and therefore, keep the drop-off line of cars moving along, so students arrive to school on time. 
      • If your child requires more time, please feel free to park off-site, legally, and walk your child to the sidewalk. We understand if your child needs to be walked to the front doors in the first few weeks of school. By the second or third week of school, we will start to ask families to say good-bye on the sidewalk, so all students are able to enter school on time, and we will start to help our children gain independence with school routines.

    Late Arrival:  Students who arrive after 8:00 AM will require a late pass.

    (If you are dropping off a late lunch or snack, please plan to drop it off before 10:15am, so we have time to deliver it to your child). 

    Walking School Bus:

    The PTSA organizes a "Walking School Bus" with groups of children walking to school together. Please check with your PTSA class parents for more current information and details.

    Dismissal Procedures and Reminders:

    For all dismissals, please be sure your child's Dows Lane Dismissal and Emergency Contact Form includes up-to-date information, which includes the designated adults who are allowed to pick up your child.

    • We cannot release children without this written permission.
    • Children who are not picked up will be brought to the Main Office.
    • If an adult is not at the bus stop, your child will be brought back to school and wait in the Main Office.

    Early pick-ups:

    • To support our dismissal process, we ask that families not ask to pick up students after 1:45pm. After that, we start our dismissal process for the whole school.

    By Bus:  

    • Dismissal begins with all 3rd grade classes called to the buses first. This is to support the order of student seating on the bus with oldest to youngest students from the back of the bus to the front.
    • Teachers walk all classes and dismiss at each bus using a clipboard system to check dismissal directions.
    • On the bus, all students must wear seat belts.
    • Bus behavior expectations must be followed at all times, whether the bus is moving or not.
    • Each bus has a monitor.
    • If you are not at the bus stop, the bus will return your child to school.  
    • In addition, as per the bus policy, children are not allowed to ride a different bus to attend play dates. Playdates must be arranged with written permission for pickup, or arranged after buses bring children to designated stops.

    Pickups: 

    • Students are dismissed to the gym and wait for a designated adult
    • Families and caregivers who are picking up, line up by grade level 
    • Please have a valid id available to show to staff to comply with our dismissal safety procedures.

     Changes in Your Child’s Dismissal:  

    • When there is a change in your child’s dismissal plan, please send a written note to your child's teacher.
    • Please do not send an email, teachers may not check their email during the day, and substitutes have no access to school email
    • In the event of an emergency during the day, please call the office (914) 591-6012 to change your child’s dismissal.

    (If you are dropping off a late lunch or snack, please plan to drop it off before 10:15am, so we have time to deliver it to your child).

    After-School Program Pick Up:  

    When After-School Programs are in session, participating children will gather at dismissal, to be met by program teachers. After-school programs communicate their pick-up procedures.

    • Students need a written note for the teacher every time they are attending after-school and changing their dismissal routine.