Idea Of Walking To School Way Off Course, Readers Say
If there’s a health benefit from making children walk to school rather than ride the bus, as reader Jean Payne suggested in “Bagpipes” last week, Carol Conzelman of Spokane says the risks outweigh it.
“Any more, parents are not at home to walk the kids,” Conzelman says. “It is not safe for kids to walk. Many kids have to walk over heavy traffic areas.”
Payne, who was responding to a report that Spokane School District 81 will provide more bus transportation next year, is not being realistic, according to Conzelman. “I am very grateful that my kids are bused, because when my kids were walking, they were beaten up, they were threatened and they were followed,” she said.
“A lot of us parents would like to walk our kids to school. Many of us have to work early morning shift jobs. I think that this lady needs to get with it and get real,” Conzelman said of Payne. “I would like to thank the Spokane School District for not listening to people like this.”
Conzelman wasn’t alone in her dissent. Wells Longshore of Spokane: “I agree that students need more exercise and obesity might be a problem, but perhaps some of those special education students are not able to walk.”
Four of the six bus routes District 81 officials plan to add are for special education students.
Something to get the conversation started
A former Spokane City Council candidate, David Bray, submitted a list of questions he’d like this fall’s candidates to talk about. Here are some of them:
“Before one more taxpayer’s dollar is promised - regardless of how it’s disguised - I’d like to see what specific plans there are (for downtown), when they are to be implemented and completed, how they are to be funded, and what results are anticipated.”
“The police and fire departments use up a huge amount of our city’s budget. I believe it’s time for an in-depth analysis, to see if that money is being spent efficiently, or can we do it better and cheaper.” “I believe we need a complete revision of the current tax system in Spokane. What we have doesn’t work. It’s broken. Let’s fix it.”
“We pay some of the highest tipping fees in the U.S. at our local incinerator. Some people had the sense to see it coming but were ignored. Any ideas on how to reverse the process?”
“Bagpipes” invites readers to suggest other topics they think this fall’s candidates should address.
, DataTimes MEMO: “Bagpipes” appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. To respond, call Cityline at 458-8800, category 9881, from a Touch-Tone phone; or send a fax to 459-5098 or e-mail to dougf@spokesman.com. You also can leave Doug Floyd a message at 459-5577, extension 5466.