Comments on: CSD Start/End Times: Multiple Surveys, One Committee, Two Options

By: Daydreamer

Daydreamer — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:14:12 +0000

“Recognizing the importance of one does not equate to support for the other.”

Gee, really? Thank you ever so much for this valuable nugget, I shall carry it with me always. I enjoy a shot of passive aggressive with my morning coffee, but I know I don’t have room to talk!

By: Daydreamer

Daydreamer — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:08:07 +0000

All fair points from all of you guys- and it wasn’t my intention to suggest anyone would turn a blind eye to aggravated assault or anything similar. Really I was just coming from a place of frustration, because it’s my impression that as a society, we have become too complacent and tolerant of mean/rude behavior (from kids, teens, everyone), and it would be nice to see that get clamped down on, it’s already way out of hand (says me).

It’s complicated because there is absolutely a value to appropriately asserting yourself, and learning to deal with difficult people and situations, and I guess my real concern is for the students who for whatever reason, are unwilling/able to deal on their own.

Having said all that, when I read the cost of buses a few months ago, it really was eye-popping. So if a potential solution is mixing ages on the bus, it should at the very least be explored to see what the actual savings are, and if it’s practical. And perhaps there’s a way to allay concerns that this creates for parents, because it is obviously a concern for some. I don’t like zero tolerance policies, but maybe a three strikes and you’re off the bus for the year, or something like that. If there were far fewer routes, it would be much easier to get creative with a monitoring system, that doesn’t involve extra adult supervision. Involving students and their thoughts about how to accomplish something like that would be ideal.

By: New Scott

New Scott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:04:11 +0000

I can’t add much more to what Scott, AHID and STG have said but I will say that I WAS bullied so I know exactly what it’s like to be on the receiving end of it. I wasn’t talking about turning a blind eye in the slightest bit, nor would I ever. What I said was that I can’t shelter my son from every possible harm and he’s going to need to learn to handle difficult situations. Part of that handling, is learning when to speak up or when to seek the shelter of a sympathetic “big kid.” I’m sure we don’t want this topic to change to tackle bullying, but trust me, I’m not a kids-will-be-kids kind of parent on that subject.

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Re 1.: Great idea and I support it althought I’m afraid that there are liability issues that prevent the use of volunteer bus monitors (but maybe not!) Also, my kids would kill me if I volunteered for their bus……..

Re 2: I like this idea. It’s a hub and spoke concept that incorporates walk and roll. I also prefer your system’s config. I’d like a 4-6/7-8 configuration. IMHO, there’s a big difference between age 11-12 year old sixth graders and age 12-14 year old seventh/eighth graders. I’d love to keep the sixth graders in elementary school. One barrier has been that Glennwood and FAVE haven’t been built to handle 3 grades and switching the RMS building and the 4/5 building is a big deal. (But nowhere near as big as closing schools and major renovations or rebuilds.) However, if FAVE is already too small for upcoming classes and is going to need additional building, maybe the 4-6 concept could be considered…..

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:43:17 +0000

I agree that bullying should not be tolerated. Children might as well learn now what will not be tolerated once they reach adulthood when bullying behavior causes them trouble at work or is even considered harrassment or assault or other activities with civil or criminal penalties. Teaching children how to prevent bullying, handle conflict without bullying, and appropriately react to bullying–either as a victim or bystander, is just like teaching them how to behave in a restaurant, develop good studying skills, or say please and thank you–good life lessons that go beyond the specific skill being taught. It’s not about keeping children in a protective bubble, it’s about modelling for them how to behave and react properly outside the bubble. Unfortunately, studies show that bullying is learned and a cycle that has to be broken. The bully has often been bullied. Even more subtly among girls, the mean girl of today may have a mother who was a mean girl herself, even though she no longer is a social bully, and so she thinks that ostracization and meanness are the norm for the preteen/teen environment. That’s why schools have to try to break the cycle and develop a more cooperative culture. I have to say that I think CSD really does take bullying seriously, as do many of our families, so our middle school and high school cultures seem a lot less mean that what I hear about from other local schools, even private schools. Not perfect, and sometimes the family of a bullying victim has to speak up, but really not so bad.

Despite the fact that I believe that bullying is a toxic experience for students and should be avoided, I am not worried about mixing high school and middles school kids. First of all, bullying should not be allowed on buses, at any age level, whether the age spread is narrow or wide. Secondly, I really believe that the brains of high school students are developmentally more mature so high schoolers are more likely to model empathy and ethical behavior for middle schoolers, rather than be a corrupting or threatening force. I am much more worried about middle schooler vs. middle schooler behavior.

By: macarolina

macarolina — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:39:52 +0000

Late to the game, but couple of thoughts-
1. Couldn’t some parents or retired peeps volunteer to be back of the bus monitors for the shared Renfroe/DHS buses? Bus driver up front, parent in the back, some eyes on all.
2. Are there currently buses picking up kids at the local K-3 and taking them to the 4/5? I grew up in a K-3/4-6/7&8/9-12 district, and those that lived near the K-3 walked there, and were bussed from there to the 4-6, and vice versa. That eliminated a lot of twisty routes, and allowed for one drop off spot if the parents/family was running late. Though not much drop off– most people walked or took the bus, there wasn’t so much of a parent chauffeur thing going on back then.

By: smalltowngal

smalltowngal — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:25:01 +0000

I don’t think anyone here is advocating that we accept chronic harassment and bullying. If that is indeed occurring, then (1) it isn’t just happening on the bus, and (2) segregating bus riders by age isn’t necessarily going to prevent it. Bullying needs to be dealt with, promptly and with all seriousness. But structuring the bus operations in an attempt to minimize bullying (whether that is ongoing or just could potentially happen in somebody’s opinion) is a case of letting the tail wag the dog, and represents mis-allocation of funds that could be more productively spent in a dozen ways.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:58:16 +0000

To be clear, my comments — and, based on posting history, I imagine others here — were in reference to life’s challenges and difficult people, and how important it is that children learn to navigate and weather them as they grow. It was not advocating we turn a blind eye to aggravated assault, bullying, torment or anything else that transcends the arena of diverse social navigation in a complex world.

Recognizing the importance of one does not equate to support for the other.