Students and teachers returned to Park Elementary School on Wednesday, but the day after a deadly auto-pedestrian accident in the school's parking lot was anything but typical.
Principal Anita Schroeder said the daily moment of silence at the Park's morning "rise and shine" assembly was dedicated to the families of the 4-year-old victim and the driver whose car struck her.
"It has been a very solemn day. It was such a tragic accident," Schroeder said.
Just after 3 p.m. Tuesday, 4-year-old Emmalee Halstead was killed after she darted out in front of an SUV turning into the parking lot at the school, which is located at 3205 W. 39th St. She was dragged 10 to 12 feet and pinned under the vehicle and quickly declared dead by emergency responders.
Officials said Emmalee had walked with her mother to the school to meet her older brother at a bus stop in front of Park. Law enforcement officials called it a tragic accident and said the SUV driver, who was not identified, could have done little if anything to avoid the collision.
On Wednesday, crisis counselors were meeting with children who witnessed the collision, as well as with others whose parents specifically requested the help.
There were many witnesses because the accident occurred at such a busy time. Parents were coming and going to retrieve students from Park, as well as bus riders from other schools who are picked up and dropped off at a school bus hub there.
Chris Payne, a spokesman for Tulsa Public Schools, said the school employees and other adults outside did everything they could to shield youngsters' eyes from the tragic scene.
"Everybody kind of leapt into action," Payne said. "Once it happened, everybody reacted very, very quickly. Kids were asked to turn around and face away so they didn't have to see anything.
"Also, it was just a coincidence that there were some counselors there who were meeting there at the school, so they were there to help as well. The driver, who is a parent of a 6-year-old at Park, is just absolutely distraught."
Schroeder said the day before the accident she sent home a written reminder to parents about the school's student dismissal procedures, but she doesn't think any policy or procedure could have prevented the death.
"It happened very quickly," she said. "Little 4-year-olds can be very impulsive like that. She ran away from her mom and before her mom could get to her, she just darted in front of a car.
"It has really affected our community out here. School is going on, but it's difficult. That could happen on a city street, in a parking lot at a grocery store. It could happen at home if a child runs into the street."
Officers with the TPS Campus Police Department were out directing and patrolling traffic Wednesday morning around the school as nervous parents dropped off their children.
While many parents followed the normal drop-off procedure of looping through the carpool line in the school's small parking lot, others parked and walked their kids inside.
A makeshift memorial to Emmalee quickly took shape near the scene of the accident as many students paused to leave stuffed animals in her honor.
One campus police officer was out in the street directing traffic, but parents noted that was unique.
"I just wish they had a crossing guard out here every day. Normally, they just have students do it," said Darlene Durham, who along with her two daughters walked their bicycles up to the school's entrance.
Terrani Douglas and Josh Brown parked their car and got out and walked with their two third-grade girls, Kerrani and Aubrey Brown.
"They need more stop signs right here or speed bumps because cars usually fly through here," Josh Brown said.
Campus Police Chief Gary Rudick was out doing traffic enforcement. He stopped several drivers and asked them not to stop their cars in the middle of West 39th Street and let their children run across the busy street and school driveway.
But he wrote one woman a ticket.
"She got a court date because she drove around a school bus with its stop sign out and yellow lights flashing. There really is no excuse for that, but drivers are so distracted by so many other things today," Rudick said. "Parents need to be patient and attentive and get here early and be ready to stay late."
Rudick said it was worth noting that traffic congestion is light around Park when compared with much larger elementary schools.
Still, he said Park is like most of the city's schools in that it was designed during an era when children either walked to school or rode a bus.
"These schools were never built for such a volume of traffic, with literally hundreds of cars driving through here," Rudick said. "We have had more calls the last two weeks because of traffic congestion problems around schools than anything else."
Music teacher Evelyn Kwanza was at the other school where she teaches on Tuesday but arrived Wednesday morning for her classes at Park prepared to help her young charges if need be.
"I think we need to be honest with them about what happened and tell them this was a complete accident, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure it does not happen again," Kwanza said.
Services are set for 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Floral Haven Funeral Home, 6500 S. 129th East Ave.
Memorial fund established
Savannah Haddock, a friend of Emmalee Halstead's mother, helped establish a fund to assist the Donations to the "Emmalee Rose Memorial Fund" can be made at any RCB bank location or online at
tulsaworld.com/emmaleehalstead
Andrea Eger 918-581-8470
andrea.eger@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Park Elementary copes with fatality aftermath
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