Transportation and the Parent Responsibility Zone
August 13th, 2006 by Mrs Eaves
On the eve of the rest of Oak Ridge Schools starting back, there’s been a lot of talk about how the safety of students in the Walk Zone has been compromised. Many have thrown blame on the City Council for not adequately funding the schools; others have blamed the School Board for not having student safety as a priority. I think that both sides have valid criticisms, but there’s a third party involved that hasn’t received much attention.
What about the parents?
It seems to me that parents and legal guardians are ultimately responsible for the safety and care of their children. If we lived in the Walk Zone (also called the Parent Responsibility Zone), we would probably grumble about being inconvenienced, but we would also take every step possible to make sure that our kids arrived at school safely. They’re our kids and our responsibility.
Inconvenience is an interesting word for me to use, because that is exactly what it would amount to for us. I am blessed to be able to work from home and set my own schedule; most families do not have that luxury. I understand that within the Walk Zone are many families for whom the lack of bus transportation is a particular hardship. Especially those without a reliable car, or whose work schedules conflict with school times, or who have a physical disability that doesn’t allow them to walk their children to school. I think that those are all very legitimate issues.
But there is something that goes a little deeper than these surface issues. It’s a problem I’ve witnessed firsthand at Willow Brook functions, in grocery stores and driving down the road. There are parents out there who simply don’t take responsibility for their kids. Just the other day I heard of a parent who was bitching about getting her child to school because she “just didn’t think she could wake up early enough.” So while I am sympathetic to families who are truly struggling with the bus cuts, I have absolutely no sympathy for parents who put their lifestyles above the safety of their kids.
Other than situations of parental abuse or neglect, why is it suddenly okay to shift the burden of responsibility from the parents to the government? Because when it gets down to it, the City Council and the School Board are not responsible for the safety of kids in the Walk Zone. Ultimately, parents are responsible for their children.
Don’t get me wrong, I want bussing to be reinstated as much as the next person. I’ve just grown tired of the Board vs. Council hoopla, while a blind eye is turned to the larger social problem of deadbeat parents.
August 13th, 2006 at 9:45 pm
I didn’t realize the walk zones are called Parent Responsibility Zones. That’s a very telling name, isn’t it.
I’m particularly interested in the question of the “burden of responsibility” that you mention.
I see this sort of responsibility shirking at work all the time. The other day a mother sat typing into a message board on one of our computers, while her 5 or 6 year old daughter ran around the children’s area unattended. I had to ask her twice to go and look after her child.
August 13th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Good Post Mrs Eaves.
August 13th, 2006 at 11:20 pm
Nice article about some parents, but what about the parents that are doing what your article states. Being a Willow Brook parent myself, you are quite late to the fact that elementary kids are walking. The transportation department is still providing door front stops to most all kids. Inefficiency at the risk of children. Where are you as a taxpayer, do you feel that a parent pays taxes for school and doesn’t recieve bussing is just as equal to a parent who pays taxes for school and does. Seems like discrimination to me. I will make sure that my school board director makes a walk to my house for my vote.
August 14th, 2006 at 5:37 am
…you are quite late to the fact that elementary kids are walking
You’re joking, right? Either that or you haven’t been reading us for long. A search of our site for “busses” finds this from in May, which was before the newspapers started picking it up. After that, theres been around 30 or so posts regarding the bus situation. Hell, GAC designed our current theme around it! Lordy lordy, can’t somebody slap a little credit on us?
Eaves, you bring up an excellent point. I haven’t mentioned the parental angle, because frankly, theres not a damn thing we can do about it. Yes, parents of today suck. Discipline is not a factor in the lives of most children, and parents feel entitled to be able to do what the hell ever they want to do while their children run amock.
However, the issue here is that Oak Ridge, supposedly home of the great school system, screwed us and our kids. Out of the entire damn town, the only agency that got the rub from this last budget was schools and parents. Hell, everybody else got a raise!
August 14th, 2006 at 7:35 am
Yes, AnotherAtomicCitizen, please take a look around our site before you start nitpicking about what was in one article. As AT has said, we’ve been talking about various aspects (and various blame) on this site for a few months now.
I believe all the people (or at the least an extremely large majority) who post here support a tax increase in order to not compromise the safety of all our children.
August 14th, 2006 at 7:38 am
I’d rather see cuts to other parts in the Oak Ridge budget, personally. As Netmom pointed out, the cities vehicle replacement fund could have seen a pretty nice chop.
August 14th, 2006 at 7:38 am
Good post Mrs. Eaves.
August 14th, 2006 at 8:26 am
Heh, I got so het up I forgot to say that I agree with ya, Eaves. Parental responsiblilty has to trump city or school board responsibility. They are our kids, and we should have their best interests (and safety) as our highest priority.
August 14th, 2006 at 9:20 am
Another Atomic Citizen, I think that AT & GAC have nicely answered your comment on my “being late to the fact that elementary kids are walking,” so I won’t address that. I do have some thoughts on your other comments, though.
“Nice article about some parents, but what about the parents that are doing what your article states.â€
My post doesn’t pretend to solve the problem. I’m simply trying to draw attention to the fact that parents are ultimately responsible for their children.
“The transportation department is still providing door front stops to most all kids. Inefficiency at the risk of children.â€
I disagree. Willow Brook currently has three busses running, and while I don’t know the maximum capacity of the busses, I can’t imagine there are any more than 50 kids on each bus (and that’s being generous). Willow Brook has just under 400 students, so that means that less than 40% have bus service. So no, “most all kids†do not have door-front stops. Are the current bus routes inefficient? Sure. Does it put children at risk? No, parents who send their kids walking unattended put them at risk.
On a side note, I do feel that community bus stops would conserve gas, time, wear and tear, and money, and I hope that this is an option that the School Board seriously considers next year.
“Where are you as a taxpayer, do you feel that a parent pays taxes for school and doesn’t recieve bussing is just as equal to a parent who pays taxes for school and does.â€
This one made me laugh. My tax dollars support plenty of things that I don’t personally benefit from. Let’s see…a golf course, new sidewalks on the other side of town, infrastructure at Rarity Ridge, trips for City officials to Russia.
“Seems like discrimination to me.â€
No, it’s not.
Oak Ridge Schools are not required to provide bus transportation to children within 1 ½ miles of their given schools. For many years, ORS have gone above and beyond and provided transportation to everyone – as a service, an extra benefit of attending our top-rated school system. It is also a service that many parents have become accustomed to - even taken for granted. Now that it is gone, it presents a hardship to many families, but no, it’s not discrimination. It’s reality.
August 14th, 2006 at 9:28 am
Everyone else, thanks for the kind words. I wasn’t sure how this particular viewpoint would be received, and I appreciate your support.
August 14th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Yeah, that responsibility stuff isn’t too popular sometimes. ;)
August 16th, 2006 at 1:41 am
Boy oh Boy, some yenta’s in here. Seems like some here are for a cause, too bad it is selfish. Do you think cutting bus routes will save this system or the selfish my way or the highway attitude of everyone on this site?
Well if kids were walking months ago, they must’ve been going to summer school. Or maybe, just like everyone else that did not take this issue seriously they did not think their child would be walking. So if you knew about it months ago, why is it that most parents are worried about walkers now? You surely haven’t made any attempt to foresee the problems of such a change as making a kindergartner walk one mile. I bet you don’t do that in a week.
Taxation without representation is illegal, and when the school board sees the poor numbers brought on by sick tired kids, maybe the teachers can use their new cars from their new raises to pick kids up for school because if you haven’t noticed, taxpayers will NOT allow further budget increases for the school board until after the new school is built. No better yet, the teachers will call in sick, and I guess you will say it is the parent’s responsibility to teach and hold down a full time job while still paying the tax and seeing city council struggle to collect from everyone. Sure, then school vouchers should be in order to reveal the good ole system of the school board versus the city council. You yentas must have pushed for that skate park. What a loser cause of taxpayer dollars. I bet some paraplegics living here in the city would love to use that park.
You need to inform yourself of the bus routes, door front at Willow Brook. If you cannot service all, then plans need to be made ensure the needs of all are met. Where has the school board tried to show effort to tackle problems of walkers and riders, and where is the school board if one of these schools were to sustain fire damage so severe to be condemned by the extra 30 minutes needed to remove the car left in the road by a parent trying to find his or her kid? All because you want parents to take care of their own, then give me vouchers. I’m pissed off that I pay taxes to give my kid an education and not a bus ride, so why is it that some kids get door front stops but my kid cannot get picked up. Do those parents pay for an education or a bus ride? Sorry to not have the crystal balls you yentas have, but my child gets to ride in air conditioning when it’s is hot, looking at the kids sweat while walking home, and heat when it is cold and raining, looking at kids sneeze, sniffle, and shake wet all the way home. My kid is dry and it doesn’t bother me.
So all of you people wanting to step up and take care of the people that is not in your click here is your chance, yet none of you have the ability or desire to be helpful. To top it all, when you hens start to cackle about my responsibility, what have you done, and do not think you are preventing tax increases by this lame stunt that parents should be responsible for transportation. The School Board should all be replaced, and I should be able to put my kid in the school of my choice. I could drive to Linden just as well as Willow Brook. Of course gumba, what is at stake is that kid is represented by tax dollars and this kid isn’t, discrimination. It is tax money and not your money. And the next time you want me to come back, try writing a snail mail so I can have fun shredding your note.
August 16th, 2006 at 5:34 am
OK, I stopped reading your post after the second paragraph. Since you’re not going to bother reading my website, you arrogant prick, I’m not going to bother reading your tripe.
First, back after the budget was read is when the grownups found out kids would be walking. Read the website, and you’ll see about the things we (we 4 people, by the way) done to try to fix this.
I believe we know who you are based on posts, and its pretty funny, we haven’t seen you at the city council meetings.
Thats OK, tho, because since you’ve known about this for all of a week, well, we’ll just sit right down while you talk shit about it.
You know what? Thats it. I’ve not done it before, but you’re the very first banninated person from this place. I’m closing you out because whatever you say next, well, you can say it somewhere else. You’re an abusive, deluded, self centered piece of dog shit, and as far as I’m concerned you can suck it.
Bye.
August 16th, 2006 at 7:10 am
Other than just insulting, I’m not sure what the purpose of that pile of steaming shit is supposed to mean.
August 16th, 2006 at 7:24 am
I understand his motivation. Seems like I wrote something here once, but I haven’t added it to the dead archive yet, about how when I was 14 and had Prodigy I used to like to troll the bbs. I think our friend here has the same motivation. Actually, he’s written a few letters to the paper (calling city council “pockets” once), he admitted to finding out about the busses situation 5 days before school started, and he wants tax abatements for his business.
He’s a crybaby, basically. He wants to make all sorts of noise so people can pay attention to him. Anyway, I doubt he’ll be posting here again, unless hes smarter around a computer than I am.
August 16th, 2006 at 7:40 am
How freaking ignorant. To come here, read one post, and assume all that he (or she) assumed is nothing but pure stupidity.
Of course we’re working to get bussing for everyone reinstated, even your kid, AAC, although I couldn’t care less about you, your kid deserves bussing.
I’ll have you know that none of our kids are forced to walk. Our kids are all outside of the walk zone. Why do we care so much then? Because in essence WE AGREE WITH YOU THAT EVERY KID DESERVES A RIDE. You’re just too caught up in pointing fingers at us to read our articles and find that out for yourself.
August 16th, 2006 at 8:29 am
What’s interesting to me is that AnotherAtomicCitizen really didn’t do his/herself any favors by posting that comment. Why bother taking the time to tap out five paragraphs, when each of them are based on nothing but ignorance and arrogance? Geez, AAC, go take some of your angst and do something productive. Commenting on blogs read by adults doesn’t seem to suit you.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:56 am
I find it ironic that AAC comes onto a post that’s about “responsibility” and taking responsibility, then starts talking smack. What kind of responsibility is AAC demonstrating there?
I wonder if AAC would come into somebody’s house and start talking like this? That’s what he/she has done when you get right down to it. The tumor is like our front porch and I don’t appreciate somebody coming around talking smack on my front porch.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:21 am
Dude, I talk smack all the time.
Anyway, its a moot point. He can read, but Dr. Dave has his picture now, so I doubt he’ll be commenting.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:50 am
It’s one thing for you to talk smack, but… ahh… you’re right.
It’s water under the bridge.