Lake Villa school generates traffic concern in residential neighborhood

Lake Villa Elementary District 41's superintendent said she intends to approach village police after receiving a complaint about speeding traffic near a school.

Superintendent Lynette Zimmer said a Lake Villa resident conveyed the traffic concerns to her about parents and bus drivers bringing students to Olive C. Martin Elementary School on Dering Lane.

Martin Elementary serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The school has 673 students for the 2014-15 academic year, according to District 41's six-day enrollment report.

Zimmer said Friday the Dering Lane resident complained about speeders and also about drivers using wireless telephones and not paying attention to their surroundings in the 20 mph residential neighborhood. Illinois law prohibits drivers from using phones in school zones.

"What I'll be doing is contacting the Lake Villa Police Department and getting their input," Zimmer said.

Martin Elementary Principal Scott Klene is expected to include a message about driving to the school in an upcoming newsletter. Zimmer said she'd expect reminders on how visitors should drive carefully near the school and respect the neighborhood.