The Threat

When the boys and I arrived at school this morning, there was no place to park. That is, all the handicapped spaces were either taken or blocked by parents dropping off kids. Forget the regular spots—they’re always full. One of the handicapped spaces was occupied by a mom from Zane’s SpEd program, despite the fact that her son has no physical disabilities, she has no HC placard, and she’s been told repeatedly by the principal not to park there.

She saw us waiting. She ignored us. She let us sit there and wait for another space.

By the time I was able to park and begin to unload Zane, the mom returned. So I decided to confront her.

Me: Excuse me. Can you not park there anymore?

Her (immediately defensive and angry): I have a sticker.

(It’s not a sticker. It’s a placard. And…she doesn’t have one of those either).

Me: If you have a sticker, then you have to put it up. Since you parked there, Zane is now late for school.

Her (coming absolutely unglued and pointing violently at the two now-empty HC spaces): There are two other spaces you could have parked in.

Those were blocked by other cars, so unless my Subaru came equipped with wings that the dealer failed to tell me about, then...no I could not park there.

When I attempted to talk to her further, she turned belligerent—her tone and body language were threatening. No one else was around outside of Zane. Plus, she had the nerve to accuse me of being rude. A little afraid of what she might do, I didn’t stick around for her tirade. I went into the school and signed in. My hands were shaking.

Come to find out…

• There have been issues with her over this before.
• The principal told me he will not talk to her anymore for fear of what she might do.
• She is no longer allowed inside the school (prior to this incident).
• The principal said he’d report her (again) to the Resource Officer—a Durango police officer.

When I returned to the school for pick up, I felt on edge. I was relieved to see the Durango Police Department vehicle in the lot.

I received a police escort to my car. The officer stayed with me until the boys were loaded into the car.

The 411 as of this afternoon:

• She is mentally unstable (seriously).
• The police officer called her about the incident and she blamed me for everything.
• In the past, she had fired a pistol in a local restaurant (not sure if she was arrested or not).
• I may not get the police escort for all the remaining school days (there are six left).

Until May 31^st at 2:00, I am watching my back.

FYI: I still believe I’m right in confronting those who park illegally in a handicapped space. Unfortunately, I now have to worry about the safety of my kiddos and myself as a result. How sad.

Did you know (at least in Colorado) you can be ticketed and fined for parking in a HC space without a legit plate or placard? I think this woman is well beyond that when it comes to the law, though.

On a separate note, tomorrow is the memorial service for Emily, the beautiful girl from Zane’s SpEd class who died last week. It has been a very emotional day. Tomorrow will be even more emotional. I either need to work out tonight or have a bowl of ice cream. I haven’t decided yet.