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Re: Bus mixup leaves family wary, story, Aug. 5.
After reading the article about the young siblings being left at a busy intersection instead of their regular stop, I had one question: Did the school bother to ask the driver why she forced the children out at just any old stop?
It seems that the school bus system in Pinellas is really in need of some help. My daughter's bus is late picking them up every year for the first day of school and late bringing them home. School is dismissed at 4 p.m., but on the first day they were not picked up at school until 5 p.m.
I found it very disturbing that the driver of that bus would speak to elementary school children in the manner that she did. She obviously has no real concern for the safety of our children.
I am very grateful to see the crossing guards at 119th Street and Ulmerton Road near Ridgecrest. I know that the children have been asked to cross Ulmerton farther down the road, but I have seen little ones run across Ulmerton Road at this intersection.
Please keep the guards there.
Re: Indian Rocks Beach grills sheriff on costs, story, Aug. 1.
As the city of Largo seeks to expand its empire through contracts and annexation, two things immediately come to mind.
First, are the citizens of Largo going to be subsidizing the law enforcement for Indian Rocks Beach? And if we are not, is this guaranteed in the contract offer to Indian Rocks Beach?
Second, I have an officer safety issue. Currently, if a deputy working in Indian Rocks Beach needs immediate assistance, officers in Indian Shores and Belleair Beach, as well as county deputies, will hear this on the radio and immediately respond. The leaders of these beach communities logically think that law enforcement officers who work bordering areas should be able to communicate.
If Largo takes over in Indian Rocks Beach and an officer calls for help, fellow Largo officers will respond from the mainland over two drawbridges, which may be in the up position. The officers in neighboring beach cities will be unaware of their fellow officer's peril. In addition, the Belleair Bluffs deputy will not be aware of this problem, despite being much closer than most of the Largo officers.
I am far more concerned about the officer safety issue. This is another example of egos taking precedence over logic and safety in one area of consolidation easily solved. Pinellas County's fire departments managed to make a logical decision in consolidated communications. It is time for the police departments to make a logical choice.
Re: Schools add flags to list of essentials, story, July 26.
I have a solution to the flag-in-every-classroom state requirement.
Every child in the classroom should have their mother give them a dollar to contribute to the cost of the flags. If the children received a dollar from mother, father, grandma, aunt, uncle, etc., they would have enough money to buy a flag for every classroom.
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