Trouble because few parents get involved

Created: 2022-01-20 06:43

At this zebra crossing, the only one in town, the school helpers ensure that the children get to school safely via the main road.

© Heinz Nefzger

Often only a few volunteers are available for the school route helper service in Weichs.

The organizer is now venting her anger about it.

Weichs - Ute Weidig-Gesang, who has been organizing the school route helper service in Weichs for some time, has drawn up the new deployment plan for the helpers.

In doing so, she took up a problem that also exists in other communities: Often only a few people volunteer for the pilot service.

Weidig-Gesang explains: “At the moment we are 14 volunteers.

Each of us has to go about 13 times per school year.

So we could compensate for the loss of one or two people with one or two additional services per person and school year.” Instead, it would be much easier if more people got involved: “I just find it annoying and disappointing that our commitment seems to have come from taken for granted by parents.

We stand by wind and weather, storm and black ice, and regardless of whether we are healthy or ailing, we are ready like clockwork every morning, even if we might have preferred to have stayed in a warm bed for an hour.”

What particularly annoys her is that not a single parent/grandparent of a primary school child is available to help on the way to school, “and that is with the 162 pupils who are currently attending primary school. Even if hypothetically each pair of parents had two children in elementary school, we are still talking about around 160 parents in total. Plus the grandparents. So a total of almost 500 people – just to get an idea of ​​the dimensions”. She accepts arguments such as "My child doesn't use the zebra crossing at all" just as little as "I don't have time because I work." She points out that the service can usually "even be done before work, right on a day off".

In addition, the organizer of the school helper service has already heard that parents are suggesting another pilot service to help with crossing at the end of the village.

But: There was no positive response to the reference to support.

This is incomprehensible to Ute Weidig-Gesang.

The dedicated school way helper finally explains: “After all, nobody has to work for free: the service is fun, there are always funny situations with the children and funny encounters at the zebra crossing.

And not to forget: our annual invitation to a meal together with the mayor.”

supporters wanted

Anyone who wants to join the Weichs school route helper service, which is only carried out in the morning at the zebra crossing on Münchner Straße by the pizzeria between 7.15 a.m. and 7.40 a.m., is welcome to contact Ute Weidig-Gesang on telephone number 0 81 36/22 93 37.

When dividing up the duties, it is based on the wishes of each individual – “if necessary, it can also be easily exchanged”.

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