It's back-to-school season and that means many stressed parents, stressed kids, and stressed teachers who are getting used to the return to routine. At the start of every school season, the school drop-off line is always making someone angry.
Experienced school parents roll their eyes at the newbies who don't know the written and unspoken rules yet. And it can be stressful for everyone involved.
An Ohio elementary school has devised a creative approach to remind parents of the rules.
Austintown Elementary School in Youngstown, which has more than 900 students, likely has experience with frustrated parents who struggle with school drop-off rules. And this year, they're determined to help ease drop-off woes with hilariously creative signs.
On August 29, the first day of school for Austintown Elementary, parents and kids were met with signs on the building's lawn to help keep traffic flowing in the drop-off lanes.
And they did it with memes and giggles.
On Facebook, a parent shared photos of the fun meme signs set on the school's lawn. According to the Facebook post, the signs were created by the PTA and were shared in the parents' group.
They're hilarious, clever, and an excellent way to remind probably frustrated parents without making the stress heavier!
"Thanks for the funnies," the caption of the Facebook post read.
The signs were throwback pop culture references mixed with puns. They're more for the adults who will get the references, with the bonus of getting kids to roll their eyes.
"Can't park here!" read a sign that featured an image of MC Hammer from the "U Can't Touch This" look.
NSYNC was featured on another poster with the line "Tell the kids Bye, Bye, Bye" printed on it.
Ryan Gosling's "Hey girl" meme was on another sign reminding parents, "Hey girl, move your car all the way up."
And the "Pivot!" moment featuring Ross from Friends while moving a couch was on another poster, telling parents to move out of the drop-off line.
Other signs featured a play on TLC's "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls" song and one that reminds parents to stay in their car.
The signs are helpful and funny.
The signs went viral on social media, with hundreds of parents commenting on how funny they were. In an interview with Today, Jessica Lippillo, president of the Austintown Elementary PTA, said she was inspired to do these posters by a school that had done something similar last year. And she wanted to make the parents smile.
"Drop-off lines are hard," she said. "Ours usually runs smoothly but this year, some of our kids are attending school for the first time ever because of COVID. Students and parents are feeling anxious and I wanted to alleviate their stress."
And that's what makes these posters so hilarious! They're clearly showing the rules that new parents may not know, they poke fun at the process for seasoned parents, and they're eye-catching enough to get the attention of those who need to read them.
