The purpose of an educational system is simple: to educate our youth. To achieve academic excellence. To provide physical education and training To prepare young minds for the world of tomorrow.
But there is a deeper purpose, one that you won't find stated in the school mission statement, one that doesn't even need to be spoken, it should be clearly understood.
Safety. The safety and protection of our most precious. Our children.
I think I understand both sides of this ongoing issue in Hampton School District One. As a journalist, I understand budgets and shortages. I've sat in meeting after meeting, when not even one citizen showed up, to discuss such matters time and again. I know that Hampton One has gone above and beyond what was required of it for many, many years to provide bus transportation to almost all children. And I also know the money is now running out.
I understand the point of view of some, who think that some people have become spoiled. And I understand that perhaps some parents and daycares have had it too easy for too long, and perhaps its time for them to step up and take more responsibility. Get out of bed and walk or drive your child to school, some probably think.
But as a parent with a child in this district, I just can't accept that this is the answer for everyone.
Not everyone is as fortunate as I am, as fortunate as many of us are. My family has been blessed with almost every opportunity one could think of.
Because I also understand that this is Hampton County, where good jobs close at home are scarce. Two-parent families are not always the norm, and if they are both parents work. Some extended families live far away. Some folks have to get up at 5 a.m., to catch a bus or a car pool to another town or city to earn a halfway decent living, often dropping their children off at a daycare on the way, hoping that a yellow school bus will reliably roll up and get their children to school safely.
Even parents who work close by can't always drop what they are doing, and run go pick up their kids. Of course, these parents always have the option of quitting their jobs, or finding new means of income. Good luck.
The bottom line is this: the district and the parents and the daycares, in a case-by-case basis, community-by-community basis, must work together. Everyone is a special case. There is no excuse for any child to have to walk an inappropriate distance, in unsafe conditions, to attend school.
Because it's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. It might not be something as dramatic or violent as an abduction or a sexual predator, it might be as simple yet horrible as a five-year-old walking in front of a car. But it's bound to happen.
Money is tight. Times are hard. As a journalist, I can understand this. But my child will never walk to school. And your child shouldn't, either. There has to be a better way.
Money is tight. Times are hard. So tough decisions need to be made. Other areas will have to be cut.
If I have to choose between academic excellence and safety, I'll choose safety for my child. I'd rather have a safe B-student than a dead A-student.
If I have to choose between successful sports programs and safety, I'll choose safety for my child. He can get exercise at home.
A well-rounded education is important. But safety, above all, is more important than academics, than fine arts, than recreation.
As a journalist, I see both sides of this issue. But as a parent, there is only one side.
The safety of our children comes first.