How to resolve school lift club conflicts

The high cost of petrol in South Africa has compelled parents to think outside the box regarding school transportation. Many parents are forming lift clubs to save time and money. While lift clubs have benefits, they may also be a pain if conflicts arise regularly. What are some of the most common school lift club disagreements, and how do you resolve them?

Typical lift club disputes

Lateness: Parents who routinely arrive late for lift club might not only upset other parents and lead them to be late for work, but they can also impact the grades and learning of the children in the lift club. Frequent tardiness can waste crucial teaching time and may even be recorded as a truancy concern in school records. Because of the potential ramifications, it is critical that this ridesharing disagreement be resolved soon and properly.

Constant schedule changes: Lift clubs are only useful if you and your family can rely on them. If you have a parent in the lift club who often needs to modify their assigned day or wants to switch things up at the last minute, this might be more stressful than simply driving your child to school.

Before and after school snacks: While this may not appear to be a problem, school snacks are a regular source of lift club disagreements. Some parents may become irritated if other youngsters eat in their vehicle without their permission. Furthermore, many children have food allergies. Therefore it is critical to consult with other parents before feeding a child who isn’t your own.

Leaving items behind: You may believe your lift club shift is finished only to discover a lunchbox, a textbook, and a soccer ball in your backseat, requiring you to contact three different parents and extend your evening. Leaving stuff in the car causes a logistical nightmare for everyone involved and reduces the efficacy of the lift club.

Discussion points

What can you do or say to resolve these lift club disagreements before they escalate? Here are some topics to discuss with other parents in order to avoid and resolve conflicts.

• Starting the tardiness discussion with a question can make other parents feel less defensive and facilitate a productive problem-solving discourse. For example, you could say, “I’ve noticed a few late arrivals on my child’s attendance record. How can we help each other ensure that the lift club arrives on time?” You might discover that the day isn’t going well for that parent or a problem with the morning routine that you can sort out together.
• Having a strict rule about last-minute modifications can save everyone a lot of early scrambling. It helps to make a calendar with specific days for everyone and agree that any changes to the calendar need to take place 48 hours in advance.
• Should eating be allowed while children drive to and from school? This is a simple issue that can be avoided by clearly explaining expectations.
• You might also want to make it a rule that kids don’t take anything out of their bags in the car to avoid forgetting anything.