Highland Park street closures may cause school problems

As the new school year gets going, parents who take their students to Highland Park Early Primary School or Havre Middle School may be concerned about navigating the labyrinth of Highland Park under construction. Well, Havre Public Schools are concerned as well.

Havre Public Schools Superintendent Andy Carlson foresees the problems with road closures and redirection from the work on 11th Street getting much worse with parents dropping kids off for school. To avoid the headaches and congestion, Carlson recommends parents entrust their children to the schools citywide bus system, at least for the next month.

"I know that, certainly with kindergarten or first-grade students, there is some anxiety, especially on the first day of school, " Carlson said. "But with that construction up there, it's going to be an issue. "

When the construction is completed, which should be near the end of September, Carlson thinks the new road will be an asset to the community, but for now, it requires a little adjustment.

"We know the next coming weeks are going to be difficult for everyone, " Carlson said. "We'll try to keep as much traffic as we can out of that area. "

Carlson has his own concerns about the middle school parking lot aside from the nearby construction, but that's another issue for another time. For now, parents can drop their students off at the rear entrance to the school, but Carlson warns that the narrow road to it is also going to be used by buses, so it will be challenging, which is another reason Carlson is encouraging bus ridership.

Every parent of a Havre Public Schools' student received a packet that included information about bus schedules, and the information is available online at the school's website.