I don't know when it became fashionable for people to drive their children to high school instead of having them ride their bikes, but some time between 1983 (when I graduated high school) and 2003 (when I started teaching at my current high school) it definitely happened. Combine that with all the students who drive to school and you have a mess. Both before and after school, the street in front of school resembles something out of a Mad Max movie. It's bedlam. It's dangerous.
Yesterday before school there was a motorcycle officer or two in front of school--and a fender-bender happened right in front of him. After school yesterday I think there were as many as 5 officers out there, with a similar presence both before and after school today. I don't know how much longer they'll keep this up but it was smooth as silk when I left campus this afternoon.
I wonder how many citations they wrote.
They sent parents a warning that they were asking the CHP to do that … so I bet it's a bunch. My natural response, of course was to ask how much of a kickback the school was getting…
ReplyDeletewe have school buses funded by taxes. I don't understand the parents who give their kids a car on their 16th birthday. I guess it's just easier to have the kid drive than play taxi. But most kids have a wreck within months of getting their licenses. There are rules in our state limited when young drivers can drive and how many passengers they can carry. Most kids, and most parents, ignore these laws. Our parking lots are full, our streets are packed, we have parents who arrive 45 minutes before school gets out, sitting in a running car waiting, carefully positioned to jet out of the parking lot once their kids get in the car. I think that we should limit student drivers to 17 and up.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of problem out here i Cali … is that the idea of a neighborhood school has been givenup on. When I grew up, you went to your neighborhoosd school, and that was it ,,, so for elementary, I biked half a mile. Four middle school they closed the one nearest me … so it was a whopping 2 miles. Highschool? less than half a mile. It actually took longer to drive than to walk or ride. My parents would give me a ride, usually, when it was puring rain … otherwise, on my own. That said … most young drivers are going to have an accident, and going to school is probably the least hrmful way it could occur ,,,
ReplyDeleteGraduated FROM high school. That's my micro-agression for today.
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