Drivers dropping off and picking up students at Tough Elementary face citations for speeding and cell phone use in the school zone after the principal flagged unsafe driving in the Carmeline neighborhood.

Principal Christy Julien sent the warning in the school's Oct. 5 newsletter, the October Titan Tribune. The Conroe ISD campus sits at 11660 Crane Brook Drive, with Carmeline directly across the street in the 77382 zip code straddling the Spring and Woodlands border.

"We have gotten some reports of parents disregarding the street signs in the Carmeline neighborhood across the street and creating hazardous conditions for our neighbors and pedestrians that utilize the pathways and streets in that area," Julien wrote.

Neighbors have been encouraged to call the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) to report unsafe behavior, according to the newsletter. Officers will issue citations to drivers who disobey posted signs, speed or use a handheld device in the school zone, Julien said.

The newsletter did not specify which signs parents are ignoring or how many complaints the school has received.

Texas law prohibits using any handheld device while driving in a school zone, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Tough Elementary classes run 7:55 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., meaning drop-off and pickup traffic passes through the area twice daily.

The MCSO has ramped up school zone enforcement countywide this year. The agency launched Operation Safe Start at the beginning of the 2026–27 school year, deploying deputies with heightened patrols in school zones across Montgomery County, according to The Woodlands Township website.

In a separate action, Sheriff Wesley Doolittle's Woodlands Traffic Unit brought in MCSO Motor Units to address a rise in traffic complaints and crashes during rush hour, according to a statement on the sheriff's office Facebook page. Deputies used radar and lidar to catch speeders on residential streets posted at 30 to 35 mph.

Spring-area drivers have seen similar enforcement on the Harris County side of the border. Harris County Constable Precinct 4, which covers north Harris County including Spring, announced a crackdown on dangerous driving in August. Constable Mark Herman said on X that deputies at the Holzwarth Station conducted a traffic initiative near Louetta Road and Aldine Westfield Road on Aug. 16.

Pedestrian safety near Spring-area schools remains a live concern. A Spring High School student was critically injured Sept. 18 after being struck while trying to cross I-45 near Louetta Road, ABC 13 reported.

Julien's newsletter also noted that Friday, Oct. 9, marks the end of the first grading period. Students will have a four-day weekend from Oct. 9 through Oct. 12.

Families who witness unsafe driving near the school can call MCSO dispatch at 936-760-5800.