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Safety Busing For Children Gets Approval In Principle

Safety Busing For Children Gets Approval In Principle image
Parent Issue
Day
23
Month
April
Year
1970
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Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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Safety busiog for certain I elementary school children I who meet a number of strict criteria was approved ia principie last night by the Ann Arbor Board of Education. No money for the busing was appropriated, however, since school officials have no estimates on the number of children who might be eligible. The board must be convinced to appropriate the mflïiey later this year before safety busing begins i n September. And this might be difficult, since several board members cayjioned that they might be "oprening the floodgates" for all ".types of busing if safety busing is approved, The proposal approved last night states that elementary school children will be eligible for safety busing by the Ann Arbor Public Schools "for the period during which hazards exist" in -the following cases: "JVhen elementray school children must travel to school via a route lacking sidewalks improved pathways, and p u b i c transportation i s unavailable for financially restrictive, and private transportation cannot be arranged, and a combination of hazards, such as (1) heavy andor high speed traffic, (2) construction area; (3) lack of road shoulder or underbrush and plantings next to the road; (4) narrow, hilly, or winding road terra'in; (5) hazardous intersections unprotected by guard or light; (6) bridge without walkway; (7) school route necessitates crossing business district or one or more heavy traffic roads, and (8) a raüV road without p r o t e c t i v e devices or crossing guard exilt . . ." These criteria were dráwn up by an Ad Hoc Safety Busing Committee composed of John Robbins, Ann Arbor Department of Safety and Traffic Engineering; Robert Syers, director of transportation for the Ann Arbor Public Schools; John Zielinski of the Ania Arbor Transportation Authority; Francis Treado of the Washtenaw County Road Commission, and Richard Creal, administrative assistant to the superintendent of schools. Earents who feel their children meet these criteria will The Ad Hoc Committee w:ll be asJced to subrnit a reques for safety busing in writing. Tüe Ad Hoc Ccmmittee will then consider and rule upon these requests. Creal said the criteria will be; strictly interpreted. He added that the "basic objective"' of the committee is stül to persuade the necessary authorities - usually the townships - to install safety paths so children can walk or ride bikes to school. He said he hopes the safety busing will be only an interim measure which "won't last too long." No estimates on the number of children who might be bused or on the cost of such busing was given last night. Safety busing, if instituted, will be a basic change in school board policy. Presently, only children who live outside the city and more than IV2 miles from the school are bused by the Ann Arbor Public Schools. These rules have been strictly followed in past years, because of state reimbursement regulations. School officials said there will be a state penalty for transporting the children in safety busing, estimated at $8 to $16 per child, per year. This does not include the additional, regular cost of busing the children. Several trustees said they were afraid a change in policy would open a Pandora's box. Trustee Paul H. Johnson was the only trustee to. vote against the policy change, saying he was voting negatively "for the protection of the children's educátion." Johnson said money should go for education, not transportation. Black Educators Question Memo A spokesman for the Black Educators of Ann Arbor asked for an explanation last night of a memo sent to all schools by School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. on March 31 saying that financial donations for the University's Black Action Movement (BAM) could not be solicited in the schools. Westerman's memo suggested that those faculty members interested in contributing to BAM send their money to a certain address, which he mentioned in the memo. The Black Educators asked why BAM had been singled out, and claimed that other groups, such as ENACT, have solicited in the schools. Westerman explained that it is school board policy for no financial solicitations to take place in the schools without the board's permission. He said he hadn't been aware that other groups had been soliciting until told by the Black Educators, and he promised to investígate and show his "administrative disapproval" if it proved true. The BAM movement had sent petitions to all the schools asking for moral and financial support from the faculty. Paul Johnson Worft Run School Trustee Paul H. Johnson, elected to his first term on the Ann Arbor Board of Education in 1967, announced last night that he will not seek re-electon this June. This means that only one of the three trustees whose terms expire in June will run for a second term - Vice President Charles H. Good. Trustee Joseph T. A. Lee, whose term also is expiring, announced two weeks ago that he would not seek reelection. No candidates besides Good have yet announced they will be campaigning for the vacant seats this June. Johnson, a former üepublican city councilman, led the slate of winners in 1967 at the polls. He has been considered a conservative member of the school board. Gifts Accepted The appointment of Leverett H. Kelly, principal of Stone Elementary School, ás principal of the summer school sessiori for 1970 was approved last night by the Ann Arbor Board of Education. Another sabbatical leave i for the second semester of the 1970-71 school year also was approved. The leave was granted to Gordon Johnston, an English teacher at Huron High School, for independent study and reading directly related to the current and projected English curriculum. One leave of absence and eight resignations also were approved. Summer School Head Named Two gifts were accepted with thanks: a microfilm reader, a modification of a current reader, and 350 cassettes from University Microfilms valued at $930;" and $350 to purchase five cassette players, five AC adaptors and an 8 millimeter movie projecter from the Northside School Parent-Teacher Organization for use at the school. Panther Film Is Criticized The father of a Slauson Junior High School student last night criticized the school for j allowing a Black Panther film on Huey Newton to be s h o w n to two ninth-grade classes. Larry Clark of 906 Fifth St. said the film was shown recently to the students and was brought to the school by a female member of the University of Michigan Tutorial Project. Clark urged several weeks ago that the materials and subjects being taught by some Tutorial Project people be investigated. School Supt. W. Scott Westerman Jr. confirmed that a Black Panther film had been shown to a combination ninthgrade civics and Black Studies class. He said the movie had been shown without prior preview by the regular classroom teachers. This is "contrary to good practice," he said. The two classroom teachers have been warned to view all films in the future brought in by guests, he said. Westerman said the incident was "thoroughly investigated" by Slauson Principal Roland Lehker.