13 Investigates why some parents say safety measure puts kids in danger

SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- Ivory Edwards can see Ralph Eickenroht Elementary the second she walks out of her apartment's front door.

But this year, instead of picking up her three elementary-aged children and walking them a few feet home, the Spring Independent School District mom said she has to walk more than half a mile in the afternoon heat.

"I used to be able to walk outside the porch and be like, 'Come on, kids,' or wave to the teacher, 'I'm here,'" Edwards said.

She can't do that anymore because, this summer, Spring ISD put up a large green fence blocking off the two walking paths connecting the elementary school and neighboring apartment complexes.

Now, Edwards said she spends at least 15 minutes walking to the school and even longer walking back with her kids.

"If it's really, really hot, it is going to take 15, 20 minutes because I'm dragging the kids too, especially to walk back," she said. "It's like, they're miserable. My baby's always like, 'Mom, can you please pick me up? Can you get a stroller?' I'm like, 'We got to do this.'"

13 Investigates' Kevin Ozebek joined Edwards and her kids during the afternoon walk home earlier this month in the summer heat.

More than halfway into the 17-minute walk, Edwards' 4-year-old daughter was too tired to walk the rest of the way home.

"It gets serious. The other kids are like, 'I'm tired, too.' 'Well, I can't pick all three of y'all up.' I'll get the smallest person because she's going to drag us down," Edwards said. "I only get a hundred percent in the morning. We're motivated in the morning. The afternoon, it's miserable. They're pouting."

Spring ISD told 13 Investigates the fence outside the elementary school was installed in response to House Bill 3, which is the school safety bill lawmakers passed this year following the deadly Uvalde elementary school shooting.

"Spring ISD's first priority is the safety of our students and staff. Part of that strong commitment to safety is ensuring that all of our campuses are secure locations where teaching and learning can be the primary focus. This includes securing our campuses both inside our buildings as well as around the perimeters of the property," the district said in a statement to 13 Investigates.

Edwards and three other parents ABC13 spoke with outside the school said they're concerned the fence is actually putting their children in danger due to alleged criminal activity along their new walking route home.

"They keep saying it's for the safety of the kids, but they're not looking at the area we're looking at. They're not looking at the crime rate. They're not looking at the people who (live) here," Edwards said. "To just automatically shut this gate off, especially to these apartment complexes and where we're at, it was a bad idea."

ABC13's investigation found there have been 244 incidents of alleged crimes reported to the Harris County Sheriff's Office over the last year along the walking route outside the school, including 10 drug charges, five aggravated assaults, two sexual assaults, and aggravated kidnapping.

In January, a gas station along the walking route was the scene of a deadly shooting, where the sheriff's office said 50 to 70 shots were fired when three masked men began opening fire with AR-15-type weapons.

The shooting happened at 3 p.m., just 25 minutes before school lets out for the day.

SEE ALSO: 'AR-15-type' weapons used to ambush 3 people at N. Harris Co. gas pump, killing 2, sheriff says

Andrew Farren, whose 5-year-old attends kindergarten at Eickenroht Elementary, said his wife walks their daughter to school every morning and fears the school "quite literally put them into a dangerous line of sight."

"If you want to secure the gate, just provide a passcode on the gate that only the teachers and staff can open up from this side," Farren said. "They're going to get over the gate if they want to. They can climb it. I can climb it. It's not that hard, so just get a gate code, punch it in for the staff and that's the best we can do."

Peggy Valdez, who drives her granddaughter to school because she doesn't want her to walk in the neighborhood, said she also doesn't understand why Spring ISD cut off direct access between the apartment complexes and the school and wishes they would consider alternatives.

"Why couldn't they put barbed wires up? If somebody's jumping the gate, put barbed wires up," she said. "They were so concerned about the safety of the kids, but now that they're walking around in front of these stores, or even with people doing drugs on the side, you don't care about their safety no more?"

Spring ISD told us it is working with local law enforcement to improve conditions for walkers.

"While we understand the concerns posed by some of our parents who have had to adjust their routes as a result of these new safety measures, we must prioritize securing our campuses to ensure the highest level of safety. This has meant making the difficult decision to eliminate the gated entrance to the property," the district said in a statement. "We have been in close contact with the neighboring apartment complexes during this process and have supported our families by hiring a second crossing-guard to assist during arrival and dismissal times. In partnership with both the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office, we are working to enhance safety conditions for our students in the area."

Yolanda Berryhill, who uses a wheelchair for transportation, said she spends most days asking neighbors for help getting her daughter from school because she doesn't feel comfortable with her child walking home alone through the neighborhood.

"You have cars that come flying through and with no sidewalk. You could only imagine," Berryhill said. "There was a car wrecked right there in the street the other day, and a little girl was right there walking. Luckily , by the grace of God, she didn't get hit, but you could literally go right there right now and see the caution tape. You could see the pole on the ground. You could see everything right there, and it's really scary."

She said she understands why the district put up the fence for safety reasons, but she doesn't understand why they couldn't keep the gate that provides direct access to families in her apartment complex.

"At least open up that hole again and let our kids come in and out. Don't put our kids in jeopardy and throw them out in the streets in order for them to get hurt," she said.

Spring ISD told us it continues to think of ways to keep campuses safe while supporting families.

"We share the desire to increase the availability of secure walking routes, and we are advocating with the county for more sidewalks, such as the newly-installed system along Ella Boulevard," the district said in a statement.

For now, Edwards said she will continue making the trek to and from school with her three children in tow.

"Please open the gate because we really need it. It was convenient for the parents. especially because I live in an older community where there's a lot of older people and they can't do too much. So we kind of have to stick together," she said.

For updates on this story, follow Kevin Ozebek on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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