Banned Boards Big Yellow Limos Don’t Allow Skateboards - Even Carried, One Student Finds

Skaters and non-skaters who pay attention to such things have long known that skate boarding does not enjoy the best reputation in Spokane.

Every kid who has at least carried a skateboard has at one time been on the receiving end of a few menacing stares by adults or other kids. This bias against skate boarders is pretty old hat, and generally accepted by most skate boarders as coming with the sport.

In the past, I’ve taken the dirty looks in stride, and tried my best to be polite and accommodating.

Recently, though, I was treated to a little bit of justice by an institution where I least expected it: the school system.

It all started a couple of weeks ago on a fresh, sunny school morning. I was in an environmental mood and decided to take the school bus to school, instead of polluting the air and contributing to the world gas shortage by driving my car. OK, I don’t even have a car, not to mention a driver’s license, which is pretty pathetic since I’m a senior, and I pretty much had to take the bus to school, but that’s not the point.

My friends and I were planning to go skate boarding after school, so naturally I brought my board with me. Now, the bus stop is conveniently located about seven blocks from my house, which means I had to get up way too early in order to get ready and make the 10 minute walk (uphill both ways) to the stop on time. In typical form, I left a few minutes late, and really had to double time so I wouldn’t miss the bus.

Luckily, I arrived at the bus stop just as the yellow limousine was pulling up. With a sense of relief, I started to board the bus. Imagine my shock when the bus driver fixed me with a cold gaze and told me I couldn’t get on. Confused, I wondered if I looked like I was carrying a gun or something. I finally managed to ask why, and the bus driver replied in a monotone, “Skateboard.”

I asked why the board was a problem, and the driver replied in the usual authoritative tone, “Safety.”

I then said, using small words and speaking slowly, that I could put the board in my back pack, but the driver just shook her head. I stared in disbelief for a second, considering mounting an argument, then turned around and began the long walk home. I was lucky that my parents were home and able to give me a ride (the ultimate of cool ways to get to school) or I would have been very late, seeing as North Central is a good 30 minute walk from the bus stop.

My questions is this: Since schools are so concerned about attendance and tardiness this year, why are bus drivers denying rides to students who are guilty of nothing more than carrying a small piece of wood with wheels attached to it? Did the bus driver really think I would just shrug and leave a very expensive piece of equipment unattended for six hours? Is keeping kids from getting to school really going to help the attendance policy?

And as for the “safety” policy, students in team sports like baseball bring their bats and other bulky equipment in bags routinely. Just because skate boarding is not a school-sponsored “team” sport, does that mean skaters can be discriminated against by the bus system?

Full of these questions, I called Spokane School District’s transportation department. An official there told me there is a state and district policy that any dangerous objects must be completely enclosed. Apparently, this is so the objects don’t go flying around and hit someone during a sudden stop or accident.

Anyone who has ever been on a school bus knows this rational defies logic. Just because a heavy object is in a bag, it isn’t any less dangerous when the bag goes flying during an accident and smacks someone in the face. And, if you were paying attention, you’ll remember that I offered to put my board in my pack, but was still refused, Granted, my pack would not have completely enclosed my board, but the inch it would have stuck out would have been no more dangerous than your average pack full of weighty school books.

So basically what we got here is discrimination by the school system based on a vaguely worded rule that seems kind of ridiculous anyway.

Skaters should not have to be the Rosa Parks of the ‘90s school buses. Schools that say they’re diverse and open to things other than team sports should prove it and try to get this situation fixed.

Of course, the real question is why are objects prone to suddenly hurtling through the air on our school buses? Will bus drivers start wearing helmets? I’ll feel a heck of a lot safer riding my bike.