Posted on November 3, 2010 by Frank Dito

PSAL to Institute Pitch Counts For High School Pitchers

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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Posted on September 15, 2010 by Frank Dito

Staten Island Schools Try to Keep Children Safe at Dismissal

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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Posted on September 8, 2010 by Frank Dito

New York City School Children Have Protection Against Bully's

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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Posted on August 27, 2010 by Frank Dito

Danger of Cars and Trucks Without Back Up Cameras

The recent accident involving a 4-year old Arden Heights boy underscores the need for back-up cameras to become standard equipment in all cars, especially SUVs.  The website, KidsandCars.org, reported that as many as 62 children could sit on the ground behind some SUVs without being seen by the driver in the rearview mirrors. Most of these "backover" accidents, in which a car backing up strikes a person behind the car, happen in the one place where you would least expect them - in your driveway. At least 100 children are killed each year in driveway backover accidents and another 2,400 are seriously injured the same way.

The blind zones behind new cars and SUV's are shocking. A blind zone is the distance behind the vehicle until the driver can actually see the ground. Consumer reports measured the blind zone (pdf) of a Jeep Commander as an incredible 69 feet! Other SUV's and pickup trucks ranged from 13 feet to 35 feet. These distances are sometimes longer than the driveway the cars are parked in. The good news is that the installation of a backup camera virtually eliminates the blind zone behind the car.

Too often, a back up camera is included as part of a more expensive equipment package that makes a vehicle too costly to afford for many people. However, with the passage of the Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007, vehicle manufacturers are required to be in compliance with federal rearward visibility standards. Although no technology is mandated to be in compliance with the standards, many manufacturers are providing rear-view cameras as standard equipment in new cars. The inclusion of the technology in new cars helps to reduce the occurrence of backover accidents but it still leaves tens of thousands of cars on Staten Island that are without a camera. These include the Hummer SUVs, large pickup trucks, Jeep Commanders and Cadillac Escalades. Many of these vehicles that are on the road today do not have backup cameras and still pose a great danger to small children and pedestrians walking behind them. Since the federal legislation is not intended to be retroactive, older cars and trucks will be exempt from the new federal standards.

Those who own a car or SUV with restricted rear visibility should consider the installation of an aftermarket backup camera. Backover accidents are a very real danger that does not receive the necessary attention necessary for real change. These cameras, wired or wireless, are cheap, safe and reliable and easy to install. For a price under $100, you could potentially save a life, possibly your own child, from a backover accident. Please consider installing an aftermarket camera if you live on Staten Island.

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