By Melissa Fales
Reporter
mfales@turley.com
Citizen warns of H1N1 vaccination risks
Resident David Kopacz appeared at the Sept. 30 School Committee meeting to discuss the survey the district sent out asking parents if they would want their children to receive H1N1 vaccinations if they were offered at the school. Kopacz outlined concerns he has about the vaccinations and said the public should understand all of the risks associated with the vaccine before making that decision. “I’m not here to tell people not to vaccinate, I’m here to advocate for fully-informed consent,” Kopacz said.
Kopacz has followed the H1N1 coverage in the media and attended a seminar held by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about the virus. He said the CDC and the United States Food and Drug Administration have granted preapproval for the vaccination and he questioned the safety risks of lowering the standards for its testing in order to meet expected demand. Kopacz also questioned a possible link to autism with the number of vaccines today’s schoolchildren already receive.
Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach explained that the purpose of the survey was to get a sense of how many vaccines might be needed, not for parents to grant consent for their children to be vaccinated.
Kopacz asked the school committee to re-issue the survey with information he has about the governmental testing and the additives found within the vaccine.
Chairman Christopher Desjardins asked Kopacz to forward his information to the central office so the school committee can review it.
Parent questions policy against student cell phone use on school buses
Paul Morris, a parent of Ware School District students, raised his concern about the district’s policy forbidding students to use cell phones on school buses. He said bus drivers are attempting to enforce the policy at the risk of the safety of the students. “It takes their attention away from the road where it needs to be,” Morris said.
Beach explained the district handbook says students are not allowed to use cell phones during the school day, which is defined as from when the student steps on the bus in the morning until they step off the school bus in the afternoon. Morris agreed it would be inappropriate for students to use cell phones while in school, but thought it was harmless for students to use cell phones on the bus. He said most students aren’t talking on cell phones, but holding the devices in their laps and texting, making it difficult for bus drivers to see who is using them. Morris said a bus driver looking in the rear-view mirror trying to catch students texting is not driving safely. “Is it worth it?” Morris asked.
Desjardins questioned why cell phones are forbidden on buses. He noted the use of MP3 players is allowed, and said if the concern is that students with cell phones won’t be paying attention in the event of an emergency, students listening to MP3 players would be even less likely to hear emergency instructions.
Committee member Kara Brown suggested reasonable cell phone use should be allowed and if students abuse the privilege, they should be disciplined as with any other bus conduct issue. Committee member Brian Winslow said the district needs to define what reasonable cell phone use is.
The policy subcommittee will revisit the policy and contact the bus company for its input.
2nd Annual Electronic and Appliance Recycling Fundraiser
Beach reminded all residents that the district’s 2nd Annual Electronic and Appliance Recycling Fundraiser will be held this Saturday, Oct. 3 in the lower parking lot of Ware Junior/Senior High School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. The slogan for the event is “If it has a plug, recycle it.” Fees range from $2 for small appliances such as toasters to $15 for larger appliances such as stoves and refrigerators. All proceeds benefit the Technology Department. Ware High School football players will be on hand to help unload heavy items. Any senior citizen who has an item or items they would like to recycle should call the superintendent’s office at 967-4271 to make arrangements to have their items picked up.
1 response so far ↓
John Rossner // October 1, 2009 at 11:16 pm
As a school bus driver I can give you the following reasons why students should NOT be allowed to text/use cell phones on a school bus…
1) Camera phones without flashes can take pictures of people and their body parts while on the bus, then sent via text to many other people, some of these pictures may be taken without another students knowlege or consent. (Some iPods now have the same capability). Flashes can distract the driver, and cause accidents.
2) Children can incite excitability within the community by reporting things to parents (as has happened in the past) and either not getting the details correct, or inflating the details so that people become very upset over things that never happened.
3) Students will lean out of/get out of their seats while the bus is moving to share their texts/photos receved with others, thus endangering themselves and others.
4) Things that happen on the bus, just like in the classroom are sometimes of a confidential nature, and sharing these details may violate someone else’s rights.
5) Terrorist threats can even happen in Ware, The National Transportation Safety Board and the Department of Homeland Security has reccomended that cell phone use be curtailed on school buses, as they can be used to make small backpack type explosives detonate (like in London, and most recently stopped in New York). In fact plans are in place to block cell signals from school buses. Drivers are already not allowed to use cellphones while the bus is moving.
6) It is dificult enough to control 60-70 or more students on a bus, and trying to get around cell phone while directing them is asking more than should be expected.
7) Although we do not “police” the students on the bus we observe them, we are there to keep them safe. If something happens on the bus we are the ones that officials ask first, and we are often the one’s that parents blame if something happens their child while on their bus. So Policing, as it was stated, although a rather inflamatory word, is part of our job. I call it observing and reporting, and if a parent, who signed for and read the student handbook with their student, then violates a rule by texting/calling their child is as guilty if not more guilty because they are adults and should know better. If you don’t like a rule go through the proper channels to get it changed, don’t try to make a professional look bad. But this rule should remain, and be enforced.