Remudamom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Who in the world could have a problem with this? Apparently only a public school. http://grist.org/list/high-school-seniors-suspended-for-biking-to-school/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow. The problem is, that the kids are the school's responsibility. He was probably thinking of how much trouble the school could get in if someone had gotten hurt. Still, he overreacted big time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Surreal. I biked to school and back for 5yrs - 4miles each way on fairly busy roads. And guess what - my school even provided the cyclists with a bike rack!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow. The problem is, that the kids are the school's responsibility. He was probably thinking of how much trouble the school could get in if someone had gotten hurt. Still, he overreacted big time. From the article: Now, the kids were actually pretty safe because they had a police escort to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustybug Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Okay, so they had a POLICE escort and the MAYOR handed them doughnuts as they biked, but they are getting suspended? RI.DIC.U.LOUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow. The problem is, that the kids are the school's responsibility. He was probably thinking of how much trouble the school could get in if someone had gotten hurt. Still, he overreacted big time. I agree, the principal overreacted. She really needs to lighten up. However, the kids are not the school's responsibility on the way to school. Middle and high school students here are encouraged to walk/bike to school and recently 3 of them were hit by a car. The school had nothing to do with it and no one thought about blaming them. The woman texting and driving was charged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 How absolutely stupid. I hope that principal realizes what a boneheaded choice she made and apologizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Stupid. But I actually think it pretty much goes along with other crazy examples of risk assessment that seem to be everywhere, including among homeschoolers. So I wouldn't say it is a ps thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Apparently common sense is not a prerequisite for working in the public school system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 How absolutely stupid. I hope that principal realizes what a boneheaded choice she made and apologizes. That seems to be what happened: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/05/kenowa_hills_principal_apologi.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I have a feeling she will be making a very public apology just about the time she is looking for a new job. And I don't think this has anything to do w/ public schools, and everything to do w/ an insanely stupid individual on a major power trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Seriously? Well, maybe homeschooling is the answer after all. I mean, you can get in a wreck in a car or school bus, you can get run over if you walk to school. It's safer just to stay home and bubble wrap yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow. The problem is, that the kids are the school's responsibility. He was probably thinking of how much trouble the school could get in if someone had gotten hurt. Still, he overreacted big time. No. Just no. Principal is an idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 :001_huh: I doubt the principal would have quite so apologetic if the national media had not gotten involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 :001_huh:I doubt the principal would have quite so apologetic if the national media had not gotten involved. You're probably right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Wow. I wonder how many of those seniors have passed their 18th birthday and are actually adults. She claims she freaked out because of their safety. Really? Does no one walk or bike to school in their district? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 No. Just no. Principal is an idiot. Might as well suspend the kids riding the bus on those busy streets or even in the car. How much do I love the mayor though. There with donuts. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Wow. The problem is, that the kids are the school's responsibility. He was probably thinking of how much trouble the school could get in if someone had gotten hurt. Still, he overreacted big time. I believe, around here, the kids are the school's responsibility once the kids are on school grounds during school hours. Again, another person who would have had a coronary if they had had my class as graduating seniors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Wow. What a moron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I believe, around here, the kids are the school's responsibility once the kids are on school grounds during school hours. Again, another person who would have had a coronary if they had had my class as graduating seniors. Actually they are not. Ask me how I know. My son ditched class in high school once and they told me I was responsible even though I physically brought him to the office and turned him over to the principal. They had no responsibility for keeping him on school grounds. I was supposed to do that from home. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 My children are not allowed to walk to school which is 1/4 of a mile away and doesn't require the crossing of any major roads although there is a ton of traffic in the car rider lanes because the kids all need to be dropped off because they can't walk a quarter mile. I know it's cliche but I really did walk a mile to school in the driven snow (frequently in the dark New England afternoons - 3:00-4:00) all the way through elementary school. I remember it fondly. Can you imagine when these kids grow up and say, "Hey, remember that time we road our bikes to school!?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Ridiculous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I think I missed something. It's too dangerous for them to ride their bikes to school so she sent them home right? But they got there on their bikes. That means they will have to bike home. So it's too dangerous to ride their bikes in but they can ride them home??? I agree this principal was on a power trip, over reacted and I don't really believe the apology. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 That is just stupid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I believe, around here, the kids are the school's responsibility once the kids are on school grounds during school hours. Again, another person who would have had a coronary if they had had my class as graduating seniors. Indeed. What my kid does off school grounds, and around school hours, is none of their business, much less their responsibility. Thinking they even have a right to know, much less a right to decide what goes on before/after school or off school grounds is a huge over stepping. Can you imagine when these kids grow up and say, "Hey, remember that time we road our bikes to school!?" I know. It's like a conspiracy to raise the most pathetic emotionally crippled intellectually stunted fat generation ever.:glare: I think I missed something. It's too dangerous for them to ride their bikes to school so she sent them home right? But they got there on their bikes. That means they will have to bike home. So it's too dangerous to ride their bikes in but they can ride them home??? I agree this principal was on a power trip, over reacted and I don't really believe the apology. That was my thought too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hmmb, I'm pretty certain that my high school would have driven this principal completely out of her mind. 1. I walked to school...rural road, five blocks, no wide shoulders, and though there was a 35 mile an hr. speed zone past the school, most of the trucks still did 55. No police patrols generally in our area. My friends and I survived quite well though we did occasionally have to jump into the ditch when someone failed to notice we were walking there. 2. Sometimes we, gasp, ROAD BIKES! 3. Many of us commonly walked a much younger sibling to school as well. 4. When the weather was nasty in the winter, we "carpooled" often on snowmobiles!!!! Yep, we only had to cross one road to get to a nice, wide path that we could ride the snowmobiles on and one would not have been shocked to see 20 of these sleds in the school parking lot. We could put as many as four people on them and especially with little kids being dropped off at the elementary. 5. Just about every boy in the high school brought pocket knives to school and some kept their hunting guns, fishing gear INCLUDING filet knives, etc. in their vehicles and no one thought twice about it. 6. Routinely, students left the grounds at lunch and walked down to the gas station to buy soda or chips. No vending machines at our school. Nobody had a problem with this. Yep, we'd have been a school administrator's worst nightmare! Love the mayor in this story! Good person there! Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Indeed. What my kid does off school grounds, and around school hours, is none of their business, much less their responsibility. Thinking they even have a right to know, much less a right to decide what goes on before/after school or off school grounds is a huge over stepping. ! This happened not too far from us. My thoughts were like the above. If the kids were NOT on school property, NOT at a school function, and NOT doing anything illegal.........then why should the school have ANYTHING to say about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 That's some silly stuff. There are bike racks at all the elementary schools in my town. The one at the high school is quite well-used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Absolutely bizarre. :001_huh: On the up side, it looks like she was very publicly humiliated. ;) Sometimes people deserve that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is really sad. I am from that area in Mi and know the Fruitridge and 3 mile roads are VERY busy (3 lanes of traffic each way plus a turn lane I believe) but c'mon... I would think Seniors know to stay on side walks. PLUS they had a police escort. Good grief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This isn't a public school issue—it's a power trip issue. Both of my kids walk to school, and the older one rides her bike sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danielle1746 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 This is really sad. I am from that area in Mi and know the Fruitridge and 3 mile roads are VERY busy (3 lanes of traffic each way plus a turn lane I believe) but c'mon... I would think Seniors know to stay on side walks. PLUS they had a police escort. Good grief. From the video I saw in one of the links, it didn't look like they were on the sidewalks. There were too many to be on a sidewalk anyway. It looked like they pretty much took up an entire lane and were followed by the squad car. It reminded me of a cycling race or triathlon or something. Also in the video, it showed several of them loading their bikes into the backs of trucks, so I'm assuming they did not ride their bikes home. The part that gets me though, is that after the fact, the superintendent (and I think the principal as well), said that if the students had just informed the school ahead of time, they would have been ok with it. Hmmm, so the school knowing about it would have made the students safer on the roads? I think one of the comments I read (can't remember if it was here or on one of the links) was right--the school was just upset because they weren't in the loop and really didn't like being surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 The school 1/4 mile away from me has a principal that won't allow bike riding or walking to school unless accompanied by an adult to and from the front doors. There are apartments and houses that border the school property line...a parent could conceivably watch their child walk all the way to the front door through a window, but no, apparently we parents aren't capable of determining what is safe for our own dc. The school was specifically built in the middle of a residential community in order to promote less bus use, but this principal, who is notorious for being power hungry and implementing rules just because she can, insists dc have to ride a bus for 20 minutes rather than walk to school in less than 5 because it's "safer". This same woman had a rule written into the school handbook that students must be at the bus stop 15-10 minutes prior to pick up time, in case the driver is early. So, it's perfectly safe to stand, often alone, at a bus stop for 15-10 minutes, but not okay to walk across a couple of back yards to school. Unbelievably asinine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 I rode my bike to school just under a mile each way in 4th grade. Have we really "progressed" to the point that high school seniors can't ride their bikes to school? :svengo: As far as the principal goes, all I can say is "What a maroon!" Speaking of which, I started reading the comments and after reading several times that people should quit "mocking the principle," I really had to stop. :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Rana Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Speaking of which, I started reading the comments and after reading several times that people should quit "mocking the principle," I really had to stop. :banghead: Well, ok, but it is a PRINCIPLE worth mocking. That is the principal's wrongly-held principle that she has any right to control what 17 & 18 year olds do before they get to school. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Well, ok, but it is a PRINCIPLE worth mocking. That is the principal's wrongly-held principle that she has any right to control what 17 & 18 year olds do before they get to school.;) So true! Too bad that's not what they were talking about. My head would be much less explode-y. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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