PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Following a fatal accident involving a fourth-grader on May 24, a group of parents at Sugar Mill Elementary School in Port Orange have started a Change.org petition demanding more police presence at all elementary schools in Volusia County.

The student was struck and killed while riding her bicycle to Sugar Mill Elementary.

What You Need To Know

  • On May 24, a fourth-grade student at Sugar Mill Elementary School died after being hit by a vehicle while riding her bike to school

  • Some parents at the school in Port Orange have started a Change.org petition demanding more police presence at all elementary schools in Volusia County

  • In the petition, parents are requesting speed humps, flashing crosswalk signs, in-street crosswalk signing,  raised crosswalks, and tables before the crosswalks in school zones

Port Orange resident Rae Hill is the mother of two children — a second- and thirdgrader — who attend Sugar Mill Elementary School. She said she couldn't stop replaying in her mind what she saw on the morning of May 24.

She said police had blocked off the busy road in front of the school. and she ended up having to park down the street. As she walked to the school with her children, Hill said they saw everything that was happening.

“We’ve seen everything," Hill said. "My kids seen everything. It was absolutely terrifying. They were shaking. They were scared. They did not understand what was going on at the time."

She said her children were looking at her and telling her how terrified they were, and that they were trying to understand what happened, and asked if the injured student was going to be OK or not.

“And that is absolutely heartbreaking to try and explain to a 7- and a 9-year-old," Hill said. "I couldn't help but to cry.”

Hill said the teachers, staff and the other parents could not help to control their emotions.

“It was just a very emotional and upsetting day," she said. "And that is why we are all trying to band together now to do the necessary steps in order to make the changes, because everybody was trying to do it individually before and it obviously wasn't getting anywhere.”

Police said the fourth-grade student — identified by her family as 10-year-old ShaoLan Kamaly — was struck near the entrance of the school by a vehicle that was exiting after dropping off another student.

“It's been an ongoing problem that has been overlooked for many, many years," Hill said. "And it's sad that it's taken this to get something done about it."

“I was absolutely heartbroken," she added. "The only thing that could kept replaying in my mind is the fact that we've been trying so hard to prevent this from happening."

WATCH: Spectrum News 13 spoke with another parent who supports the petition's safety improvements, but she’s now stuck with having a difficult conversation with her daughter.


Hill said she has started a petition, alongside other parents, to require a police officer to be at all elementary schools in Volusia County to direct traffic.

She said the safety of children is at risk every day due to the lack of proper traffic control around elementary schools.

“The main goal is really to protect our children," Hill said. "Our children should feel safe coming to school, and they should feel safe leaving from school. And at this point in time, I don't think that any of these kids feel safe anymore coming or going from the school."

In the petition, parents are also requesting speed humps, flashing crosswalk signs, in-street crosswalk signing, raised crosswalks, and tables before the crosswalks in school zones.

They are asking members of the community to sign the petition and urge Volusia County authorities to take immediate action.

“We're hoping that this will light a fire under them to actually get somebody out here now," Hill said. "Because something this tragic has now occurred and we've been trying to prevent it for years."

She said the parents who started this petition will attend Tuesday night's Volusia County School Board meeting to bring their concerns to district officials.

The student's family has started a fundraiser to help cover the expenses for her memorial and for legal fees.

GoFundMe.com, or any other third-party online fundraiser, is not managed by Spectrum Bay News 9 or Spectrum News 13. For more information on how GoFundMe works and its rules, visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.