When I was a courier, I would plan my route to avoid school zones. In those occasions when I did have to travel past a school between the hours of 2:30 and 4:00pm, I would be a model driver, a safe and legal speed and always with an eye out for unpredictable pedestrians and other road users.
The biggest hazard at that time of day were the parents who were either picking up their little turds, or parents on the way to a different school speeding through school zones because they had one too many day drinks and lost track of time.
I noticed that the students who walked to and from school by themselves or with an older sibling were always careful, road smart and safe.