08/25/2026
Hello Southwest Family,
This is Dr. Richmond calling with two important pieces of information.
The first piece of information is about car rider line:
What has to happen? Our buses use the left passing lane to get to campus. Cars coming from our S***t Club Road side are already in the right lane. Car coming from our Colfax side either never get to turn, or they turn down SW School Road in the left lane and must be able to merge. That does not mean that they should drive all the way down close to the school, pass everyone, and then try to forcefully merge into the right lane. What I know, is that our kids are watching. Every time we speed, every time we skip the line, every time we do not follow the rules, every time we get ready to yell something at another driver…our kids are watching. They are watching whether we do the right thing or the wrong thing, and they are learning from us. Please, work with each other and not at each other to get our kids safely to school. Also, it is a huge safety risk to have your child meet you or leave you in the back parking lot. We have 18 buses where every walk through that lot is a risk for your child.
The second piece of information is about the Protect Our Students Video:
In accordance with North Carolina General Statute G.S. 115C-105.57(2a), public schools are required to show the Protect Our Students videos as we begin the 2026-2027 school year. If you would like to opt-out your student, please complete the paper that came home today and return it to your child’s homeroom teacher. Students at SWMS will watch the video on Friday. You can visit www.gcsnc.com/protect for an overview of the law and links to the video, as well as an Opt-Out letter if you do not want your child to participate.
Dr. Richmond
