Plano approves summer school zones, adds two new campus zones

Drivers crossing north Plano this summer will need to watch the signs closely: Plano City Council approved new school-zone timings for summer classes and added two new school zones near Otto Middle School and Fowler Middle School, changes that will alter traffic patterns around campuses, neighborhoods and commuter routes.

The council approved the changes at its April 13 meeting, with summer zones set to activate only while summer school classes are in session. The restricted hours will vary by campus and by date, covering elementary, middle and high school windows in June and July as Plano ISD and Frisco ISD move summer sessions around inside city limits. For parents dropping students off, teen drivers heading to campus and commuters cutting through neighborhood streets, the result will be slower traffic during active school-zone periods and a greater risk of tickets for speeding.

The two new year-round zones will be placed near Plano Parkway and Feathering Way for Otto Middle School and at Ridgeview Drive and Presidio Lane for Fowler Middle School. City staff said those unmarked pedestrian crossings have drawn more student traffic after attendance-boundary changes and bus-service changes from Plano ISD and Frisco ISD, a sign that the city is adjusting not just to road design but to how students actually get to school. The move is meant to give students safer crossings, but it also adds another layer of rules for drivers in north Plano.

Plano’s school-zone page says the city’s Transportation Division and GIS Division maintain interactive maps showing crosswalks, crossing guards, stop signs, traffic signals, school-zone areas, sidewalks and trails. Residents with questions can use FixIt Plano or email schoolsafety@plano.gov. During active hours, the school-zone speed limit is 20 mph, and a violation carries a $500 fine, a penalty that can hit parents, bus operators and commuters who miss a flashing sign by just a few blocks.

The April action fits a pattern the city has followed as Plano ISD changes student schedules and transportation plans. In 2024, city traffic staff adjusted school-zone signals after Plano ISD changed release times for the 2024-25 school year, and last year council updated school zones on Coit Road and Legacy Drive because of bus-service and attendance-boundary changes. The latest vote shows school-zone planning in Plano has become a moving target, tied directly to where students walk, where buses stop and which streets need extra protection when the bell rings.