As Galion Middle School and High School students return from Spring Break Monday, they’ll be greeted not just by classmates and teachers—but also a brand-new afternoon dismissal pattern aimed at improving safety and efficiency.

Over the weekend, Galion City Schools announced updates to the after-school traffic flow for both buildings. The most noticeable change? Students will now exit through the main doors and board buses in front of the schools, rather than at their previous locations.

What stays the same:

There are no changes to student parking assignments, meaning students who drive to school can continue parking as they did before the break.

For families picking up students:

Parents and guardians will now need to park in designated areas—either the far east or far west ends of the parking lot—and wait for their student to walk to them. This new configuration is designed to keep the center area clear for safe and orderly bus loading and departure.

To help ease the transition, the district is taking extra precautions. Pylons, school staff, and the School Resource Officer will be present each afternoon to direct traffic and answer questions.

Galion Schools also emphasized that all cars must yield to buses as they leave campus—a critical rule to ensure students can get home safely and on time.

While this updated dismissal pattern may take some getting used to, the district says it will monitor the process closely and make adjustments as needed. A map of the new traffic flow was included in the announcement to help families prepare and can be seen above.

So as the school week kicks off, parents, students, and staff alike are asked to be extra mindful—and extra kind—while this new chapter in Galion’s end-of-day routine begins.