Open Letter to SPS Regarding Icy Conditions at Sacajawea, Jan 17th, 2024
/Dr. Campbell and School Board Members:
I am writing on behalf of Sacajawea Elementary PTA concerning the unsafe conditions that we had to endure this morning (and afternoon) to get our children to (and from) school.
Sacajawea Elementary School is located at 9501 20th Ave NE. This is a little over a block off Lake City Way, set on a wooded hill in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. To get to the school, you have to either come down the steep hill from 15th Ave NE, come up the hill from Lake City Way, or come up the hill on 20th Ave. It is hills in all directions.
In wet weather, it can be slippery and dangerous. In slushy, icy weather conditions, it becomes very dangerous. None of the streets around the school are regularly plowed. At times, with lots of advocacy and effort by our principal, 20th Ave NE might get plowed, though this isn’t even something we can count on.
On Wednesday, January 17th, the roads and sidewalks surrounding Sacajawea Elementary School were slushy, icy, and unsafe for drivers or pedestrians—not at drop-off or pick-up. Our unique geographical conditions (very hilly, more wooded) make it so that icy conditions persist longer. We also tend to get more snow than other neighborhoods due to our elevation, again with it sticking around longer than other parts of Seattle, even just directly down the hill.
Today, families attempted to get their children to school on nearly impassable roads. Some made it, but not without issues. Some turned around due to safety concerns. Some walked and slid their way down, and many fell or nearly fell.
We hope to highlight these safety concerns and ask that our unique geographic area be considered when planning for inclement weather. Our immediate area is not comparable to Olympic View or Wedgwood Elementary School areas. We ask that you include the Sacajawea school area in your safety assessment. If the district decides to send our students to school, we need to be assured of their safety, along with the safety of our families, staff, and neighbors.
Below, I’ve included a number of quotes from parents who experienced dangerous conditions during their travels to and from school today.
Our community appreciates your attention to improving the safety of our students.
Karen Murphy
Sacajawea PTA
Parent Feedback
Bus family- my daughter said the bus was scary- they slid around.
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This morning I made three attempts each an hour apart to take my child to school. On 20th in between 88th and 90th. It was too slick for me to drive. So we got out to walk and we both almost fell. To be honest with all the hills around the school is really hard to believe that wasn’t a delayed start or having snow plows going through dropping down sand or salt.
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Because I live facing Sacajawea Play Field on NE 94th St, my family did not have trouble getting to school—but we did get a front-row seat for all the trouble drivers were having when trying to get out of the neighborhood after drop-off. We watched at least five vehicles try and fail to go up the 94th St hill just between 20th and 17th avenues—which is not even the steepest section of that hill! Each one got stalled out at the new stop sign at 94th/17th, lost traction, and had to slide or back down the hill backwards, creating a hazard for both other drivers and pedestrians behind them. Finally another neighbor pulled one of the “traffic revision” signs out to the middle of the street to discourage drivers from even attempting that stretch.
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On the hills I slid in my car many times, even going a less dangerous way I had struggles, it was quite scary. I made it safely but had a few scares.
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We live just outside Sacajawea's boundaries so walking is not an option for us. I attempted to take 94th (from 15th) down to the park. My anti lock breaks started as soon as I turned. I gave up and turned immediately into the church parking lot where I slid to a stop. I went back out to 15th and drove home. Having slid down that hill in previous winter weather I did not want to chance it. (There is no way for me to drive down to Lake City Way that doesn’t involve a hill!)
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We were unwilling to risk the 98th st slope with the extent of the ice so decided to keep our son home for the day, especially since it was an early release day.
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We live three blocks away from one of the main paths to the school yard. Our walk to school is through a hilly residential neighborhood. The roads and sidewalks on the morning of January 17th were exceptionally icy. The larger through roads-17th Ave NE. and 20th Ave NE., as well as the smaller side streets were barely (or not) walkable. Families were navigating on fallen leaves and gravel for stability. Cars braving the streets were sliding through intersections or weaving through the neighborhood looking for a safe enough road to get to the school.
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I was driving east on 90th St. NE at 7:20am on Jan 17. On a hilly section, about 500 feet west of the intersection of 20th Ave NE, my car started to slip and slide off the road. Fortunately it stopped before hitting anything or anyone. When I parked in the parking lot at Sacajawea I had to walk extremely slowly as the lot was iced over. While on bus duty in front of the school I had to walk extremely slowly and counsel all the students to do the same as the sidewalk was very icy, even though two layers of de-icer had been applied. At the minimum, there should have been a 2 hour late start today at Sacajawea.
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I can't speak about drop-off, but pick-up was still pretty precarious. There was black ice on parts of my route to the school since the side streets don't get treated. And this was in the afternoon. Walking up 20th was an accident waiting to happen since there was still black ice on the sidewalk. I walked on the asphalt instead, which felt dicey with cars going up and down the street, but it was either that or sliding down on our bottoms.
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My family struggled to get to school on the morning of the 17th. We live on 20th Ave. just about one block uphill from Sac. We slid most of the way down the hill, and two of my three children fell along the way. Even when we got to the school, right in front of where the buses let off, the sidewalk was not sufficiently deiced, though staff were in the process of trying to rectify that. I also needed to help one of the Sac staff walk from the stairs by the bus stop to school, because the walk was too treacherous for her to make it without assistance. As I was deicing our block, multiple cars spun out, trying to drive southbound on 20th Ave., and needed to turn around to escape the neighborhood. There is no way that we should have been trying to access the school in those conditions this morning
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We slipped our way to school on 17th. Side streets were really not walkable, but we found some leafy/gravelly patches to walk on. Very scary on foot or by car.
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We took 95th and it was very slippery.
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My kid and husband went down 95th, sticking mostly to lawns and other non-asphalt or non-concrete surfaces. And then down the path and into Sacajawea park. I did notice the middle school kids waiting for then bus slipping in the parking lot.
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We made it via car by going LCW & 98th. But we do have AWD and needed it a couple of times. The sidewalks looked treacherous. Based on my driving in the general vicinity, it seems that the roads/sidewalks around Sac were the worst in the area.
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We “walked” down 96th. My kiddo fell once and we debated turning around and going home but instead walked along the perimeter of someone’s driveway and garage and then through the gardens (sorry) of those new houses. Very treacherous!
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Made it to bottom of 20th via Lake City. Started walking up hill armed with sidewalk salt based on previous experience but ran out just to get across 97th. Son had better traction, so wished him good luck in getting the rest of the way solo.
We are set up to flex to virtual, and this seems like it was a perfect opportunity that was missed.
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I am west of Roosevelt and all the cross streets were bad (96th, 97th, 98th) so I went up to Northgate Way, to 24th Ave to Lake City to 98th to 20th. I think this is a bus route. Even that well traveled little part of 98th to 20th was sketchy, and 20th south of the school was sketchy.
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To the city: IMHO the “one lane road” obstacles on 98th make it worse, as traffic which goes both directions, is skidding, and must share a lane. Since that is the SPS-prescribed path to the school, that part of 98th should be made more functional for 2 way traffic.