Staten Island Injury Law : New York Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Frank Dito : Decker, Decker, Dito & Internicola Law Firm : Traffic Accidents, Transportation Safety

As I have blogged before, I fear that the true extent of the PCB problem in our public schools is only starting to become fully known. Three more New York City public schools have been found to contain elevated levels of PCBs, in violation of federal standards. New York City acknowledges the results of the EPA required tests but unfortunately, doesn't go any further. The EPA ordered testing has revealed elevated PCB levels in almost a dozen New York City schools but the total number of schools being tested and when is unknown. It seems that every school tested has returned PCB levels above the federal limits for maximum long-term exposure.

The initial stipulation with the U.S. EPA required that a few New York City public schools be tested, and if any required remediation, the City and the EPA would draw up a plan to combat the PCB problem. The elevated results were initially attributed to the presence of contaminated caulking around the windows, which was removed. Despite the City's attempts to downplay the problem, test results have come back showing that PCB contamination is much more widespread that previously acknowledged and not limited to the caulking. No longer is this a problem limited to just a few schools; it has become widespread with the possibility that a substantial amount of the schools may be affected.

The effects of long term PCB exposure is not well known. Between the window caulking that has been recently removed and the discovery of PCBs leaking from the ballasts contained in thousands of fluorescent lighting fixtures, our children may have been exposed to elevated PCB levels for many years. Some of our children may even have directly ingested PCBs as leaking ballasts may have left residue on surfaces that children have come into direct contact with.

With statistics showing that 1 in 10 school age children will be diagnosed with autism, and environmental factors believed to be a leading cause of that statistic, one has to wonder if there is a link between our children's and exposure to PCBs and the ever increasing incidence of autism. Unfortunately, history has shown that the connection between the cause and the disease or illness isn't made until years after thousands are affected. I can only hope that EPA forces the City to test all schools, right now, and take whatever action is necessary, despite the cost or inconvenience. We need to act now and answer once or for all if we are putting our children in harms way.

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Despite the City of New York continuing to downplay the significance, more and more test results have shown high levels of PCBs in New York City Public Schools. These results have come from spot checks conducted at various schools throughout the City. Last year, the City of New York entered into a stipulation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wherein a few of the more than 1,600 public schools were required to be tested for PCBs.

If levels higher than those allowed by federal law were found, the City was required to cleanup what was believed to be the source of the contamination; namely, caulking in the windows at these particular schools. However, once the caulk was removed from the windows at a few select schools, another source of contamination became apparent. The thousands of fluorescent lights hanging in our children's classrooms could be leaking PCBs into the air, causing levels more than 10 times the EPA limit of 50 parts per million.

The City, despite these findings, maintains that there is no danger as the exposure is not likely to cause immediate harm to children. What the City has sadly missed is that children are and have been exposed to PCBs in our public schools for the long term. Most public school children will be in the same school building for at least six (6) years. No one knows what the true effect of such long term exposure, despite PCB being a known carcinogen whose manufacture has been banned.

The City claims that it will cost over a billion dollars to remove and replace all the fluorescent lighting in the schools. The actual cost has been debated by the City, the EPA and parent groups. The City's words about about lack of immediate harm to students provides their true reason and true motive for such a price tag. Declaring a crisis would potentially displace 1.1 million students from their schools while the PCBs were removed and the classrooms were cleaned.  Procuring space for these 1.1 million students, setting up temporary classrooms and cleaning up what I believe to be a much bigger problem than anyone has allowed us to believe would easily eclipse the $1,000,000,000 estimate. Such a scenario would bankrupt the City and create a problem that has not short term solution. I am sure that there will be much more to this story, as my previous posts to this blog have shown. 

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The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has informed the City of New York that they will start to inspect public schools for PCB contamination starting next month. The EPA has advised the City to remove older fluorescent fixtures that can leak PCB into the air and onto surfaces such as desks and tables. The City has objected to the EPA's advice, saying that the fixtures pose no immediate threat and that replacing them would cost over $1 billion and result in the layoff of over 15,000 teachers. Needless to say, the EPA disputes the City's figures as to the cost.

PCB's are contained in the ballast of most fluorescent fixtures manufactured before the 1978 ban. In the average ballast, the device that controls the current in fluorescent bulbs, approximately 1 - 1 1/2 ounces of PCBs may be contained inside. The PCBs were used as an insulator to protect the electrical parts from becoming too hot and melting. When the ballast fails, it allows PCB's to leak out of the fixture.

PCBs are dangerous and readily absorbed through the skin if a student comes into direct contact with the leaked fluids. They may also be absorbed by the air that we breathe if the ballast is broken open. The dangers of long-term PCB contamination are not well known. Studies have shown that high-level exposure can cause specific types of cancer, such as liver cancer. Children exposed to PCBs have shown neurological damage, cognitive impairment and memory deficits.

What strikes me as very curious about this order is the first report of PCB contamination in New York City Schools. This blog's August 10, 2010 post spoke about the EPA's order to start testing certain schools for PCB contamination in the caulking around the windows. The City, somewhat secretly, began testing certain public schools for PCB contamination earlier in the year. The results showed PCB levels higher than the federal guidelines for long term exposure. This result appeared to be somewhat surprising to the City of New York. One has to wonder what went on behind the scenes that has actually brought the EPA to conduct their own inspections. Are the levels still highly elevated, even after the removal of the caulk? How long are we going to wait before we know the real story about the levels of contamination? Our children may be exposed to years of this contamination -  we need to write our local politician's and demand to know the real truth.

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Driving around Staten Island today, I was behind a yellow school bus. Since it was around 1:00 p.m., the bus was empty as most students were still in school. What I noticed was the small sign that was hung outward on the back window, alerting drivers that the bus had been checked for sleeping children. The sign law was enacted after numerous New York City school children, some as young as 2-years of age, were left asleep and alone on a school bus after the driver and matron failed to properly check the bus at the end of the day. Checking the bus for sleeping children seems so logical that you would hardly think a sign would be necessary, but it is.

The next problem that we face is bus drivers and matrons leaving the sign on the back of the bus ALL OF THE TIME. I know that I have driven behind a school bus fully occupied by children but having the sign that says its was checked for sleeping children. The purpose of the sign is to force the bus driver or matron to walk to the back of the bus to put the sign on, almost forcing them to look through each row for sleeping children. Having the sign permanently affixed defeats the entire purpose and makes for forgetting a sleeping child possible again.

If you are riding behind a bus that clearly has children inside and the "checked for children" sign is up, call the bus operating company and report what you have seen. Its the only way to make sure that the sign requirement is working, without the unfortunate happening of a child left on board. Its about 34 degrees in Staten Island today - would you want your child left on a cold bus?  

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Staten Islander's can take relief. The Department of Education has reported bed bugs in 16 public schools throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. Finding bed bugs is just the beginning of the problem; getting rid of them is the other. The bugs can hitch a ride home on clothing or inside a backback. Once in your home, they are very difficult to eradicate. Make sure that backpacks are left out of the bedroom and periodically checked for the bugs.

The bed bug "epidemic" has created a cottage industry overnight. A quick search of the Internet reveals a host of "all natural" sprays and exterminating kits for sale. Little information can be found about their ingredients and that is where my concern lies. With the rush for "cures" to stop the bed bugs, one has to wonder what is going into these all natural remedies. Also, many people are seeking to use powerful insecticides to self-treat, as the cost for professional extermination is quite expensive. This may unnecessarily expose children and adults to high levels of toxic chemicals if they are not used in accordance with the instructions.

If you see bed bugs, call a licensed exterminator. Once they are discovered, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to rid your home of them without professional help. If you decide to "do it yourself", please read the manufacturer's instructions and follow them carefully when applying pesticides. And only use chemicals as intended. If you have a mattress with bed bugs, you need to throw out the mattress as it cannot be properly cleaned or treated with chemicals. The expense to remove the bugs professionally is high but you will be assured that the job is done properly and safely, with no risk to your family.

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As my neighbors and friends know, I am very much opposed to what I feel is the overload of sports play heaped upon our growing children. I am particularly against what has now turned into the sport of year round baseball. On Staten island, we have spring baseball in April, summer leagues in June, fall ball in September and winter ball in December. Add practice, clinics and other sports such as soccer and basketball, its easy to see how our children are playing continually at a competitive level. I am in agreement that children should be allowed to run, play and have fun but the increase in competitive play brings about an earlier occurrence of serious injuries. The overuse of pitchers has been directly addressed before and this year, the PSAL is instituting a 105 pitch limit for all high school pitchers, along with mandatory rest between outings.

Recent studies have shown that serious injuries, such as tears of the anterior cruciate ligament, are being diagnosed much more frequently. The reason is believed to be two-fold; Initially, more children are undergoing MRI scans when they complain of knee pain. More importantly, the best athletes are constantly at risk with year-round play on multiple teams with frequent games. The risk of injury is higher in a game than in practice because of the higher intensity level of play. Its this higher intensity that leads to more serious injuries than if children were playing in a schoolyard.

The risks involved with the repair of an ACL tear should make all parents evaluate whether their children are playing sports to have fun or are being pushed along by the parents desire to see them play. The operation to repair the ACL involves drilling into the growth plate, causing potential complications including shortening of one leg. The injured child is also on the way to developing arthritis in the knee, something that we only think happens to older adults. I ask that all parents take a moment to think about their child's sports schedule. Sure, most kids love to play all the time but after all, aren't we meant to protect them?

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As school bus service to nearly 3,000 7th and 8th graders remains cut, principals are scrambling to find ways to make dismissal safer. As anyone knows who drives on Staten Island streets during the hours of 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., getting around is difficult, especially near schools at their dismissal times. A trip that averages 15 minutes during the late morning may take as long as 45 minutes during the mid-afternoon. The streets in front of many Staten Island schools are filled with double- and triple-parked cars, have cars parked in someone else's driveway, blocked fire hydrants and a general failure to heed stop signs and red lights.

Bernstein Intermediate School recognized the danger that children were carelessly crossing Hylan Boulevard, a street rapidly becoming known as Staten Island's "Boulevard of Death", and took immediate steps to correct it. The school's principal met with students and even arranged for dismissal of the 7th and 8th graders in the school yard, making it easier for parents to pick up their children. This is just one school out of many in Staten Island and much more needs to be done to ensure our children's safety.

Last year, police put in place a plan that built upon "Operation Safe Roadways", which was put in place to stem the reckless driving along Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Avenue. The plan targeted driver behavior around schools during the morning drop-off and afternoon pickup. Again, driver attitude on Staten Island is a major problem in preventing . Parents need to pay attention to the rules and guidelines that schools implement for parking and student safety. Without our cooperation, the chaos will remain, putting all our children at risk.

Since it seems that everyone on Staten Island drives their child to and from school, I am at a loss to understand why Stop-and-Drop hasn't been adopted at every school. Stop-and-Drop designates one curb as a drop off zone, manned by a parent or teacher. A parent pulls up, with their child seated on the right hand side of the car, and their child is let out of the car, into the care of the parent or teacher. The parent then pulls away, letting the supervisors direct the children into the school, and allowing another parent to pull up. If followed, it greatly reduces the chaos and ensures that our children get to school safely. We also need our elected officials to look into changing the many "No Parking' and "No Standing" signs that surround our schools. I am sure at one time, these signs benefited all. But now, with the Island bursting at the seams, these spots should be opened up to allow parents to park and pick up their children safely.

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The Dignity for All Students Act was signed into law today by Governor David Patterson. The law protects students from harassment because of their race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex. Schools are required to create an environment free from harassment and discrimination by revising their codes of conduct and designating staff members to prevent such behavior.

In signing the bill, Patterson noted that far too often, school children are ruthlessly targeted by bullies. The bill's sponsor, State Senator Thomas Duane, noted the bills intention; No child should be terrified to go to school due to bullying and harassment. In the technology age, bullying has subjected children to a 24/7 onslaught of harassment, with no escape. The proliferation of facebook, Myspace and text messaging has created a virtual world in which for bullies to work and to hide anonymously behind their actions.

The law is to take effect on July 1, 2012 but certain provisions will take effect before that date. Numerous other states have enacted anti-bullying laws, including Georgia, where an 11-year old boy committed suicide after being repeatedly being bullied at school. As a parent, you need to be aware of signs that your child is being bullied in school. Some possible warning signs are if your child comes home with torn or damaged clothing, appears sad or depressed when he comes home from school, has frequent bad dreams or seems afraid to go to school. If your child has any of these signs, talk with your child and then talk with the teachers at your child's school. If your child is being bullied, take quick action as bullying can have serious effects on children.

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For the school aged children of Staten Island, summer vacation ended today. And with the Department of Education's recent decision to take away bus service for 7th and 8th graders, we can expect our streets to be more crowded with thousands of children forced to find new ways home. Besides the increase in pedestrian traffic, you can be rest assured that hundreds more cars will be on the streets. As driver's, we need to be aware of our surroundings and to expect these additional school children to be out on our roads at dismissal. In the mornings, the drop-offs will no doubt be congested with more people trying to drop off their children. Much confusion will result and despite the "rules" that come with dropping off our children, you can expect many parents to totally disregard the rules, putting our children in danger. As I have blogged about before, we as driver's and residents, need to change our habits and to obey the rules. They are there for our and our children's safety. Many Staten Island driver's feel that laws and rules don't always apply to them, especially when dropping off or picking up our children.

Despite all the improvements to traffic flow on Staten island, driver behavior is still the leading cause of accidents on Staten Island streets. For instance, the public's steadfast refusal to follow traffic directions and lane markings is incredible,  no more so demonstrated than in a typical fast food parking lot. Take for example the parking lot of the McDonald's at Hylan Boulevard and Midland Avenue. The designers placed clearly marked lanes and arrows in the parking lot, directing traffic smoothly to the drive-thru and in and out of the parking lots. Despite the markings, customers still refuse to follow directions, instead preferring to make a u-turn in the parking lot versus following the markings to the drive-thru. Another prime example is the drive-thru at the Dunkin Donuts on Forest Avenue and Broadway. The parking lot has two lanes, one clearly marked "24 Hour Drive-Thru" and being to the right of the entrance. The outside lane has two purposes; the first is to allow cars parked in the lot to be able to exit their parking spots without having to wait for the cars in the drive-thru line to move. Secondly, the right lane makes the turns required to be less severe and easier to pull up to order at the drive-thru. Not surprisingly, most drivers ignore the markings and enter the drive-thru through the left hand land, blocking any cars that attempt to pull out of their spots. Numerous other examples include the Wendy's on Hylan Boulevard by Cromwell Avenue and most banks.

Remember, laws are enacted for our safety. Don't pass a school bus with the red lights on and the stop sign out; A solid white-line on the street means that you are unable to switch lanes; the speed limit on streets if not posted is 30 m.p.h.; no left turn means no left turn. Until we obey these laws, many people will continue to be injured or killed based on driver behavior alone.

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The Department of Education announced that 8 Staten Island public schools were cleaned of dangerously high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contained in caulking around the windows and doors. The schools, Bernstein Intermediate, Barnes Intermediate, Morris Intermediate, PS 3, PS 8, PS 32, PS 44 and PS 55, recently had their cleanups completed. The EPA banned the use of PCBs in 1976 but removal of the caulk was not contemplated. Although the EPA requires schools that have PCB levels of 50 parts per million or higher remove the caulk, in another example of classic government decision making, the EPA doesn't require testing! What that means for parents of school children is there is an untold number of schools that could have PCB levels that exceed the EPA threshold and they won't know anything about it. PCB contamination is a larger problem than we have been led to believe.

On January 19, 2010, the City of New York entered into an agreement (pdf) with the EPA to address the risks posed by PCBs in some New York City public schools. The agreement calls for the City to perform testing at 5 public schools to determine the best way to reduce exposure to PCBs in caulk, essentially a "plan for a plan." The City has made no promises to remove the contaminated caulk. Instead, they will look into cleaning the schools, improving ventilation and addressing the the problem of deteriorating PCB laden caulk. There appears to be no overall time frame for the initial testing of the 5 schools, let alone the eventual remediation of New York City's 1,600 public schools.

For those schools that have higher than allowed PCB levels, students will continue to be subject to these toxins while they sit in their classrooms. PCBs are known to affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and are potentially cancer-causing if they build up in the body over long periods of time. How school children may be affected by long-term exposure to PCBs is unknown. Children may be exposed to PCBs by breathing in dust, touching contaminated caulk directly and putting their hands in their mouths after touching PCB contaminated caulk.

The EPA recommends (pdf) that contaminated schools are cleaned frequently with wet cloths, the use of HEPA filters in vacuums, washing window sills, walls and objects in rooms that have high levels of PCBs and adding exhaust fans. I wouldn't know if the City is following these guidelines but with the recent cuts in school funding, I am sure that they are not. Years ago, asbestos was considered a "miracle" product that many believed caused no harm to the thousands of workers exposed to it. Many claimed that the federal government didn't move fast enough to limit the risks faced by workers exposed to asbestos. Are we going to be faced with the same criticisms tomorrow for not acting fast enough on PCBs in our schools? Unfortunately, we cant benefit from hindsight if our children are injured.

In what I have feared, the City of New York has announced the results of the tests of the first 3 schools to be tested. The results detected PCB in levels above the federal guidelines for long-term exposure. The levels dropped once caulking and old flourescent light fixtures were removed. The remaining 2 schools in the pilot program won't be tested until next year, again possibly exposing New York City public school students to dangerous levels of PCBs.

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The reports of a fatal accident yesterday on Interstate 44 in Missouri brings the debate about putting seat belts on school buses to the forefront. Missouri law does not require seat belts to be installed on school buses and it is not yet known if seat belts would have even helped.The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is on the scene to investigate.

The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences released a June 2002 study  (pdf) that attributed the deaths of 5 school aged children per year as passengers. The study only took into account "normal school hours", which means that it covers only 6 hours per day and only through the school year, September 1 through June 15. To me, this study is flawed as those killed in the Missouri bus crash would not have even been included in these statistics. Even the times that were included in the study excluded 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., a time that includes when most children are on their way to a field trip, usually at some distance from their school. The children in Missouri were on their way to Six Flags Amusement Park and were required to take a highway, where they are exposed to higher speeds and larger, heavier traffic as opposed to residential streets at relatively low speeds.

Many Staten Island parents don't think twice about putting their children on a school bus. And most parents wouldn't put their children into their car without a Child Safety Seat or properly restrained with a lap/shoulder belt. Yet New York law requires seat belts on school buses, but not their use. Instead, they allow school bus passive restraints, known as "compartmentalization", to protect the precious cargo. The bus passenger compartment itself is higher than most of the surrounding traffic, the seat backs are raised and padded and the bus' shell is reinforced. This compartmentalization help to provide "passive" restraint, which simply allows a child to sit down in the seat to be protected. This type of restraint is very effective in frontal impact crashes, but not in a rollover or side impact.

If seat belts were to be installed in a bus, it would have to be a lap/shoulder belt as a lap alone would cause significant abdominal injuries.The cost to retrofit a bus, if possible, would average $1,000.00, BUT would reduce the passenger capacity by 20%. In these budget crunching times, it always comes down to numbers; essentially, how much is a life worth compared to the cost of saving one. As a parent, I know that I couldn't put a price on my child's safety. Maybe its time we look to make our children's bus rides safer and install seat belts and not look to cut costs at safety's expense.

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An article in today's Staten Island Advance tells of the filing of a lawsuit over an incident that occurred on February 12, 2010 in front of Morris Intermediate School. The lawsuit, filed today in State Supreme Court in St. George, alleges that the mother of a 12-year old Morris Intermediate School student was assaulted by a school safety officer as she went to pick up her daughter. As the mother arrived at school, she noticed that her daughter was being pelted with snowballs by some other students.The mom, Katherine Galindo, immediately ran over to her daughter to help to protect her. The confrontation eventually escalated to the point where the other students began to push the daughter and then Ms. Galindo herself. A school safety officer ordered Ms. Galindo to leave and threatened her arrest. Ms. Galindo explained that she was only defending her daughter. It is then alleged that the school safety officer pushed her and threw her into a gate. She was then arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct.

As the matter involved City of New York employees, a Notice of Claim was filed within 90 days after the incident happened, putting the City of New York on notice of what is alleged to have occurred. If the Notice of Claim was not timely filed, Ms. Galindo would be unable to bring a lawsuit for any injuries she sustained from this incident. The City of New York also requires that a lawsuit be filed within one year and 90 days after incident. These short time frames ensure that the City can properly investigate what occurred instead of years later when it becomes much more difficult.

The facts of this case are unusual but if the allegations are true, the school safety officer assaulted Ms. Galindo when he pushed her into a fence. What is most surprising to me are the 9 comments left on the SILive website. First, they all ignore what is alleged to have occurred - an assault committed on a 12-year old girl's mother, someones wife! Would anyone else be enraged if a school safety officer put their hands on your wife? I know I would. One comment even goes so far as to equate a physical assault with receiving a wrong order at Dunkin Donuts. And why would it be wrong to come to the aid of your 12-year old child? Should the mother have just stood by and watched? What would the comments have been then? I am at a loss to understand why a mom rushing to her daughter's aid was wrong to react the way she did. And if her story is proven to be true, she should be entitled to have her case heard in court. Even if she did raise her voice or was rude to the school safety officer, that does not give him the right to touch or assault Ms. Galindo to cause her injuries.

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The New York City Special Commissioner of Investigation has released its report into the drowning of a 12-year old New York City public school student. Nicole Suriel was on a field trip to Long Beach, New York with her 6th grade class from the new Columbia Secondary School. Nicole entered the water and was apparently caught in a rip tide. She was found an hour and a half after she was reported missing.

This is an absolute tragedy, one compounded by the fact that it should never have occurred. The drowning occurred while no lifeguards were on duty. The lifeguards were off duty at the time of the trip and were scheduled to start working weekdays after the Memorial Day weekend. "No Swimming" signs were posted along the beach when the students arrived, advising that lifeguards were not on duty. The 24 children were accompanied to the beach by only three chaperones, an inadequate number given the location of the field trip, and that at least one could not swim.

The report (pdf) found that the teacher in charge, 26-year old Erin Bailey, exhibited "poor judgment" in allowing the students to swim without lifeguards on duty and that the school failed to provide enough chaperones for the trip. What surprised me is that the investigation revealed that the parents signed a "Universal" permission slip at the beginning of the year, but never one for this particular trip. The Universal permission slip allowed the school to take the children only short distances from school, unlike the trip to Long Beach, which involved a subway ride and a trip on the Long Island Rail Road. Parents were unable to make the choice as to whether they wanted their child to go on such a field trip. Given the fact that Nicole couldn't swim, I would be hesitant to allow my child to go on a field trip to the beach. I am sure if the trip was discussed thoroughly with the parents, concern would be voiced over the lack of adult supervision for 24 students. Instead, the field trip went ahead and the improper planning and lack of supervision caused the tragic death of a 12-year old girl.

As parents, we need to protect our children as they are too young to protect themselves. We need to be involved and make sure what they are doing in school each day, and to say "no" if the situation makes us uncomfortable. Hurt feelings will heal, this tragedy never will. As a parent, my prayers go out to her family as they try to recover from their loss.

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Anyone who drives on Staten Island during the morning commute, whether going to work or driving the kids to school, has seen impatient drivers speed up when school buses slow down. Too many of us have seen drivers ignore the red flashing lights and the stop sign extending from the side of the school bus and speed right by. Driver's approaching from the opposite direction seem to believe that they don't need to stop. The law is clear; any driver approaching a school bus, either from the front or the rear, MUST STOP when the bus's red lights are on and the stop sign is extended. No exceptions!

Millions of dollars have been spent on research regarding the color of school buses alone, a color of yellow that will make drivers aware of the importance of the passengers riding in that vehicle. Studies have shown that the human eye can see yellow more quickly than any other color, including red, especially during the early morning or late evening hours when school children are on their way to and from school.

I believe that a major reason that driver's are quick to pass a school bus is the lack of teeth in the fines. The current law provides for a fine of $250 for a first time offense, with no points on your license. Such an easy off is unacceptable. You will get points on your drivers license for speeding 10 mph over the posted limit but no points when we are trying to protect our children. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Assemblyman Michael Cusick has realized the problem and attempted to add more teeth to a weak law. He has sponsored a bill to increase the fines and penalties. The bill creates a criminal charge of vehicular manslaughter if a child under 15 years old is killed by a motorist passing a stopped school bus. I applaud the proposed change, after all, are those 30 seconds that you save by passing a bus worth the life of young student? We all know the answer to that. Please be careful and make Staten Island safe for everyone.

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I am shocked to have read numerous recent articles about children who have committed suicide because of bullying at school or on-line through social networking sites.  Children as young as 9-years-old have taken their own life, an age when they should be enjoying each day instead of worrying about social pressures. I am the father of two beautiful children, ages 2 and 7, and could not imagine what could someday ever be so wrong in their lives that they would want to stop living. What is causing the unimaginable to happen? I feel that the problem is the influx of social networking sites and the "instant information sharing" society that we have become. Some of these children endure months and even years of verbal assaults, threats of physical violence, and cruel and malicious attacks strewn over the Internet.  

The list is horrifying: In January, a 9-year-old Texas boy hung himself in a school bathroom. It's hard to believe that a 9-year-old could even contemplate suicide, let alone commit it. Last April an 11-year-old Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself minutes before leaving to go to meet with school authorities to discuss the continued harassment about his sexual orientation. In January, a 15-year -old Massachusetts girl, Phoebe Prince, was found dead in her home, a victim of bullying that continued even after she died. A 17-year-old Long Island teen, Alexis Pilkington, committed suicide after reading cruel and malicious attacks against her on social networking sites.

The Internet and cell phones have brought to life a new form of bullying, known as cyberbullying, When we were in school, the bully was usually confined to the schoolyard and you could escape by standing up or fleeing into your home. Now, there is no place you are safe from the constant onslaught of the Internet and text messaging and no real way to stand up to the bully. Cruel posts were even made to some of the facebook memorials posted after their death.

Schools need to do more to prevent this growing problem. Social networking sites have given bully's the comfort of anonymity, being able to say such horrible things about someone without any consequences. The first line of defense is in our schools, where our children interact with their friends and encounter the "bully". New York City schools have enacted rules intended to deter intimidation and harassment based on ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. The rules require that every principal designate a staff member to whom students can report bullying, and schools will be required to report complaints to the Department of Education within 24 hours and to investigate the complaints and contact the families of students accused of bias-based harassment.

Watch your children. Get to know their friends, what their Internet habits are, what websites they frequent. Look for some of the signs such as your child suddenly being reluctant to go online or to use a cell phone; avoiding a discussion about what they’re doing online; depression, mood swings, change in eating habits; and aloofness or a general disinterest in school and activities. A child closing the browser or turning off the cell phone when a parent walks in the room can be a sign of cyberbullying. We need to protect our children.

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All too often do you hear about a driver getting ticketed for going around a stopped school bus. I am not sure of their reason. I can't believe that driver's don't see the school bus - after all, its big, yellow, has flashing red lights and even its own stop sign. So if seeing the school bus isn't the problem, it has to be that drivers just don't care about the potential consequences and choose to ignorethe law. This callous and reckless disregard of traffic laws permeates the Staten Island driving culture, from passing a school bus, driving through a red light or not stopping at a stop sign.

I was driving the other day and was stopped at a red light at the end of Richmond Road and Morley Avenue, waiting to complete my right turn. While I was driving, I had previously noticed a car behind me trying to pass other cars. When I was stopped, I noticed the car pull out from behind me and continue straight, as if to make a left hand turn onto Richmond Road. The light was green in that direction but instead of making a left turn, the car proceeded to make a right turn. Obviously, the traffic laws don't pertain to that driver. I am sure that the driver simply couldn't be bothered to wait for the light to turn red and made up their own rules.

As a parent, I take my child to the bus stop every morning. I always notice that approaching drivers seem tentative about stopping for the bus. The rules are very simple. You must stop when approaching a stopped school bus with its red light son and its stop sign deployed. Its not a judgment call - you must stop. If you don't, the consequences can be severe. Severe in that a child could be killed.

Last week, a driver apparently felt that she didn't have to stop for a school bus and proceeded to drive around the cars that were lawfully stopped. That driver clipped a 12-year old girl getting off the bus, thankfully she sustained only minor injuries - cuts and bruises on her legs. The driver fled but was followed a by a good Samaritan, who called police. The driver didn't have a good excuse for what she had done - she was just going to meet her boyfriend. What if the girl had been killed? What if that was your child getting off the bus? Stopping for a school bus is the law. We need to obey it. If we don't, we are going to need harsher penalties to stop people from passing the school bus. This attitude that the law does not apply to "me" must change before more people are hurt.

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A Staten Island student, who did not have parental consent, was given the swine flu vaccination by New York City Department of Health staff members. A similar incident occurred in Brooklyn just days earlier.

Although health officials have assured the community that the swine flu vaccine is safe, many parents have angrily objected to any attempt to forcibly vaccinate their children. The non-consented vaccination amounts to a medical battery committed by the staff members who administered the vaccine. We are entitled to make our own decisions about what care we choose to receive. We speak for our children. Whether you agree or disagree with the swine flu vaccination program, it is still your right to chose.

What is especially troubling is the fact that the parental consent forms were not checked by DOH staff. Although I believe the vaccine to be safe, some have alleged that they have suffered unusual reactions after being vaccinated. Whether these reactions are ultimately determined to be related to the swine flu vaccine or not, it is still a parent’s choice to subject their child to that risk. I am offended at the canned response by the DOH in stating that the students suffered no ill effects and that the administration of the vaccine was a “misstep.”

Any vaccination must be carefully considered and could cause a potentially harmful reaction in these children. Since the consent forms were not present, how the DOH staff could not know if the children were allergic to eggs, a common question asked to all recipients of the flu vaccine.

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