OVERLEA, Md. — Parents and neighbors in Overlea expressed serious safety concerns as students returned to classrooms Monday, with many choosing to keep their children home due to hazardous walking conditions around Elmwood Elementary School.
WATCH: Parents skip school over icy, unsafe walking conditions
Barbara Roberts, who lives across the street from the elementary school, said the cleanup from recent snow and ice storms has been inadequate.
"I've been through multiple snow storms, as well as ice storms, and this cleanup is just horrendous," Roberts said.
Roberts watched as children and parents struggled to navigate through the neighborhood and across streets to reach the school. She noticed significantly fewer students walking to school than usual.
"I've seen less walkers today. I think a lot of parents were afraid to walk their children. It wasn't nearly as busy as it normally is it was very few school buses so I guess the school buses had difficulty getting through the streets," Roberts said.
The way roads have been plowed leaves no room for cars or buses to navigate neighborhood streets, according to Roberts. Students are forced to walk on roads to avoid falling on icy sidewalks.
These dangerous conditions prompted Elizabeth Belt to keep her 6-year-old son home from school.
"It's sickening that they have to walk in this," Belt said.
Belt drove around Sunday night to assess road conditions near the school and was disappointed by what she found.
"It seems like the county is more concerned about getting the kids in the classroom then they are with getting them safely to the classrooms," Belt said.
When asked if it was a good decision for students to return to classrooms, Belt was clear in her response.
"No absolutely not. They were already set up virtually and that's how they should've stayed," Belt said. "I just don't understand why they couldn't have continued with the virtual learning."
Belt has reached out to county council members requesting help to clear roads and sidewalks so students can have safe paths if they must continue attending school in person.
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