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Richard Clark - 07/30/99 22:26:16
My Email:philipi1@midsouth.rr.com
From (City, State): Bartlett ,Tennessee
Subject: July's Adult To Adult - ALA

Comments:
The fact that this can even be an issue is beyond belief. The premature firing of these endorphins is unrefutably dangerous to society. By addicting these young minds to this sort filth can only bring ruin to their lives and society in general. The addiction of sex has already been demonstrated numerous times by people like Jeffery Dahlmer and others I would rather not talk about in this forum. The fact that they wish to pervert our Constitutional right to free speech is as sick as they are.

Jeannette, - 07/29/99 16:12:26
From (City, State): Alaska
Parent, Teacher, etc: Mom, and Senior Manager for Alaskan firm
Subject: July's Adult to Adult - ALA

Comments:
I have 3 children in all-one who is 27, one 25 and a 16 year old boy that is still in school. I did not have to go through a lot of these things with my first two. And my 16 year old is not allowed on the internet at home. He may use it at school and the library. He has his own computer in his room, and is not hooked up to the internet. My first two lived without it, he surely can too. In fact my first two grew up without TV and they never missed it either. Still to this day, they rarely watch it. My stepson, who is the 16 year old, is a computer buff. So I feel that if he had internet access, he would surely be curious and would be testing everything that he could. I think our decision is a good one. When he is on his own and pays for the access himself, he may do what he wants and will be old enough to make that choice. I also feel that boys as young as that, that get that kind of info, is looking at this is how all women are. And I want my son to like sex, but also have respect for the woman he is with. Jeannette

Frank, Bus #150 - 07/21/99 19:33:11
My URL:http://user.mc.net/hyden
My Email:hyden@mc.net
From (City, State): Crystal lake,Ill.
Parent, Teacher, etc: School Bus Driver
Subject: July's Front Page - Seatbelts on big buses

Comments:
I have been looking at your "Seatbelt" page and I am impressed by your fairness in inviting both sides of the question to add their comments. A comment I haven't seen raised here yet is: Some states don't require students to be seated while the bus is mov ng, they go by the rule of "Capacity plus 20% standees". As a school bus driver I find this hard to believe but what is even harder to believe is how are the seat belt enthusiasts planning to "belt" the standees? If anyone has a solution for this problem you should be getting the word out because answers are hard to find on a number of these questions. Come visit my "School Bus Driver" web page when convenient. Frank, Bus #150

Steve Lower - 07/20/99 19:48:44
My Email:Lower45@worldnet.att.net
From (City, State): Wanette, Ok
Parent, Teacher, etc: Bus Driver
Subject: July's Front Page - Seatbelts on School Bus

Comments:
This is a highly emotional issue. The story says that the bus was hit by a gravel truck. My guess is that the gravel truck was speeding. Rock Haulers are after all the Elite Drivers (in their own mind). They are paid by the load therefore the quicker they deliver the quicker they get back for another load. These drivers are the real hazard. How about fire. I have heard of more school bus fires than other types of accidents. Fire can race through a school bus very quickly we don't need a bunch of panicky students trying to get seat belts unfastened. I personally think the public should be more concerned about older buses with inadequate mirror systems. Not seat belts

Brendan - 07/20/99 00:46:18
My Email:brendanla182@hotmail.com
From (City, State): Anoka, MN
Parent, Teacher, etc: School Bus Driver
Subject: July's Front Page - Seat Belts

Comments:
Seat Belts should not be required on School Buses. They have been proven to be more hazardous when installed in a School Bus. What would happen if a School Bus with seat belts got involved in a severe crash with another vehicle causing the us to over turn and start on fire. The bus driver would be unconscious, and the kids would be hanging upside down. As you know extreme pressu e on a seat belt causes it to be very difficult to unlatch. Then with the students unable to get out of the bus due to the seat belts, they need to be cut out which would be the bus drivers job if they weren't unconscious. Needless to say there would be fa more serious injuries, and deaths in this particular situation with seat belts than without. Also if School Buses were to be required to be equipped with seat belts, does that mean that motor coaches and city buses would be required to also. That would never happen....

Maggie Freeman - 07/17/99 14:18:34
My Email:mhallfre@raider.grcc.cc.mi.us
From (City, State): Grand Rapids, Michigan
Parent, Teacher, etc: Bus Driver
Subject: Kids In Charge - Refusing transportation to unruly students

Comments:
I have been a bus driver in the city of Grand rapids for 20 years. In my district, they have policies against tossing an unruly students off the bus, and rightly so.We , as the bus driver are responsible for the safety of those students! I find that it is more important to establish a relationship with those students before the behavior becomes a problem. Take time to talk to and try to understand where the kids are coming from. Do something CRAZY! to get there attention. ( my kids specially like my "Cousin It" impression, which I do not share while going down the road) What we do share are jokes, family problems, personal problems, problems with teachers, or school related problems, etc. If those kids know that you love them and are actually interested in them, your incidence of unruly behavior is going to be minimal and when it does happen, choose your battles wisely and don't sweat the small stuff.Concentrate on safety issues and if you take a moment to actually explain to students why you ask the things of them that you do, they will understand and not hate you for asking them. Above all, enjoy your job.After all. where else can you be applauded and heralded for never growing up? Not on Wall Street, Ill tell you that! Sing, Dance, Laugh, Love, and oh yeah Drive. Feel free, to E mail me. Maggie

Steve Lower - 07/16/99 17:51:55
My Email:Lower45@worldnet.att.net
From (City, State): Wanette, Ok
Parent, Teacher, etc: School Bus Driver
Subject: July's Adult To Adult - ALA

Comments:
Logic carried out to its ultimate becomes illogical. The same arguments can be said about absolute freedom. It seems to me that some liberals think that the pornographers rights are more important than the rights of parents or the majority. This is the absurdity of absolute freedom. One group becomes more important than another group. Even this argument has become illogical.

Merion - 07/14/99 15:15:33
My Email:MLB247@aol.com
From (City, State): Holbrook, NY
Parent, Teacher, etc: Parent
Subject: A Mother's Story

Comments:
This story came at the right time. A friend of mine is having the same problems with her son as the author described in her story. She has done everything that you can humanly do to correct the situation, but to no avail. Like the author's school, this school was not the help you might think they would be. As a matter of fact they quickly encouraged her to remove her child so that they would not get a bad reputation. I am going to get this book for her and a copy for myself. I strongly believe this will be the answer to her prayers and mine.

Jose L. Villegas, Sr. - 07/08/99 21:55:34
My Email:dadsacp@hotmail.com
From (City, State): Santa Fe, NM
Parent, Teacher, etc: Parent
Subject: July's Adult to Adult - Child Pornography in Public Libraries

Comments:
What the ALA needs to do is get out of the adult/child porn business! It appears that their internet policies only protects the pornography industry interests vs. the parents rights to protect their children from theses animals (child molesters) who are using the public libraries as a means of luring our children for sex. I strongly believe the public libraries belong to the people and not to the librarians. We pay for keeping them open and we should have a right to tell them what is community decency an what community standards should be. However, it appears the ALA thinks they run the show and they should be reminded that they are a non-profit organization, not the policy makers of our community. If all the parents across this country would unite into o e mass of upset parents and to tell their local library boards and city councils to stop supporting the ALA and the adult/child porn industry, then, we have accomplished a big win for our kids safety. Anyone interested in evoking a massive change in this country in getting rid of child/adult porn in our public libraries? National Boycott of our local and state libraries until they provide some type of safety mechanisms for our children computers? If your public library is requesting for taxpayers to pay for an increase to improving your local library, make sure they understand that if they don't want to help us parents with the opposition of adult/child porn in the library, there bond money wouldn't get passed during the election period! Anyone interested?

tmj - 06/27/99 21:24:19
My Email:jjrison@aol.com
From (City, State): Battleboro, MA
Parent, Teacher, etc: Truck Driver
Subject: Message Board Topic: Dumb Mistakes: Parents storm school bus

Comments:
What that bus driver did with those kids in lawerence mass, was not wrong at all. He was doing his job and looking out for the safety of his passengers. He should be commended not criticized for his actions - after all his job is not easy. Think about it.... 30 to 40 screaming kids while you are trying to concentrate on safely driving a large machine through rush hour traffic in a large city, every day of the week.

AEY - 06/27/99 00:09:15
From (City, State): Scranton, NC
Parent, Teacher, etc: parent, former public school teacher, sex education instruction for Unitarian Fellowship teenagers (in-depth exploration, for which parental consent was required.)
Subject: July's Adult To Adult - ALA

Comments:
This discussion about whether Go Ask Alice is a good site or not for children is one that's likely to be duplicated about many sites on the internet set up especially for children or teenagers. The problem is the old problem that all responsible parents have about what they want their children to be exposed to and when. And it leads to questions, too, about the wisdom of having children exposed to "value-free" information, information provided by "entities" who do not know (and therefore do not care abou ) the recipients of the information and what they'll do with it. Sometimes the absence of a value-judgment on topics for children has the same effect as giving them permission to engage in the activity. The source of the information can be seen as having more validity and authority than the parent. I think the site would be a good one for parents to become familiar with so they can really understand what their children might be concerned about. Then they could talk with their children in the context of th values that the family holds.

kim blakeley - 06/19/99 00:45:23
My URL:http://aol.com
My Email:durham02@aol.com
From (City, State): calif.
Parent, Teacher, etc: state instructor
Subject: May/June's Front Page - Choking child

Comments:
great job!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve Lower - 06/09/99 04:46:57
My Email:Lower45@worldnet.att.net
From (City, State): Wanette, Ok
Parent, Teacher, etc: Bus Driver
Subject: Kids In Charge

Comments:
I think this is a good idea. It teaches kids that there are consequences for their actions.

Lt. David Brach - 06/05/99 18:13:07
My Email:dlbrach@juno.com
From (City, State): Prue, OK
Parent, Teacher, etc: Firefighter
Subject: July's Front Page - Seat Belts On School Buses

Comments:
As a firefighter I deal with car wrecks, but recently was involved in my first school bus wreck. Fortunately, there were only minor injuries, but if the bus had went off the road 100 yards either direction the results would have been different. I believe ll busses should be equipped with seat belts and their use should be mandated. I would like to see a seat belt using velcro instead of the familiar metal buckle. It would safely hold the kids and would be easy to operate without worrying about adjusting f r the next passenger. The belt wouldn't have the buckle to used as weapons, but for those that are so worried about that-why not take the books away from the kids. They can just as easily be a weapon. Lt. David Brach, Prue Fire Dept.

Susan - 06/04/99 13:57:43
My Email:curley@misn.com
From (City, State): Steelville, MO
Parent, Teacher, etc: Bus driver
Subject: May's Adult to Adult - Schoolhouse terrorism

Comments:
The children's school day does not start when they reach the school house doors. It starts when they get on the bus in the morning. As bus drivers, we try to set a positive tone every day. But if something violent happens, we are on our own until help arr ves. In rural areas, help could be 20 to 30 minutes away! We need more training on dealing with violence on the bus. There is no where to run and hide on a school bus, so the situation has to be dealt with. I hope I would never be in that situation, but it wou d be nice to have the training to deal with it!