The presence of a new police officer directing traffic at the Bartlett Street school entrance is stirring up mixed opinions from staff members and students.

According to assistant principal Mel Laughton, complaints from students and parents prompted action towards fixing the problems facing the intersection. The intention is to prevent accidents and create a more efficient flow of traffic.

“Given the right tempo for getting people in here, I think it could be helpful,” Laughton said. “Traffic was backed up before, and I think sometimes it takes a while for a change out there.”

Laughton suspects the traffic issues are related to the intense winter that residents faced in the past few months, leading parents to drive their kids to school in the morning instead of having them wait for the bus.

“A number of factors are contributing to the issues this year, one of them being what seems to be an excessive amount of snow, and also an excessive amount of cold,” Laughton said. “The days have averaged 5.7 degrees colder than normal, so there are parents who don’t want their kids standing out in the cold waiting for the buses.”

Many students have mixed feelings about the presence of the new police officer.

“I think he was very helpful when the weather was bad, but now that it’s getting nicer, it feels like he’s slowing down the traffic getting in to the school,” sophomore Kelly Slovin said. “At the same time, it seems safer with him there.”

“I definitely think that even though it makes the process of getting into Algonquin slower, it’s good to have someone there to regulate traffic and prevent accidents like we’ve had in the past,” junior Kavya Verma said.

Laughton believes the situation could be changed by student action.

“A lot of this could be resolved by people starting 10 minutes earlier,” Laughton said.