Gone are the days when parents parked their cars and rushed to pick up their kids after a typical school day – at least, gone are those days at Clanton Elementary. There, school officials have implemented a new student dismissal system.

Each student is assigned a number that matches a corresponding number placed on the dashboard of his or her parents’ vehicle. As a faculty member walks down the pick-up lanes, each number is called out over a bullhorn while students are matched with their parents.

No cars are allowed to move until a designated section of cars is loaded; then another section comes in for loading.

Modeled after a system used at Meadowview in Shelby County, this system is meant to increase safety and security by seeing that each student leaves campus with an authorized person.

This looks like a smart system. It may require a little more patience, but that could be a good thing.