Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 5, 1995 TAG: 9504050093
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
She has a 5-year-old daughter who attends kindergarten, too.
But she still believes that her daughter, who attends Mount Pleasant Elementary School, is safe, and she has confidence in Roanoke County's bus safety program.
"I have not had a problem. My daughter comes home and tells me about bus safety things they have talked about," Ham said Tuesday night.
The safety issue arose at a town meeting on education issues called by Michael Stovall, the School Board member from the Vinton District.
Stovall also can understand the pain of Shayla Worley's family. He, too, has a 5-year-old daughter, who is in kindergarten at Herman L. Horn Elementary School. He, his wife, his mother or some other adult waits for his daughter to get off the bus each day.
Stovall said he believes that county schools do a good job of educating children about school bus safety. "That is a concern every day - something that never stops," he said.
"I don't know what else you could do. Maybe you could install cameras to see all the way around the bus, but I am not sure that would help."
Stovall said he agreed with the Vinton Police Department's decision not to file charges against the bus driver, Josiah "Jay" Edwards.
Most people at the town meeting said they believed the fatal accident was an isolated case and that the county's bus system is safe.
"We have an excellent safety record," said Evelyn Ball, Parent Teacher Association leader and former School Board candidate. It was the first fatal school bus accident in the county's history.
On other issues at the town meeting:
Stovall said he opposes the political parties becoming involved in school board elections. "We should not get our schools involved in partisan politics." He also opposes charter schools.
One parent urged Stovall and the county School Board to provide more funds for music and the other arts. The parent said studies have shown that students score higher on math, science and standardized tests if they take arts courses.
The county School Board will "stand firm" on its request for an additional $961,524 in county funds to balance its budget so it can preserve salary increases for teachers, Stovall said. Some people will lose their jobs, and instructional materials will have to be cut, if the funds are not forthcoming, he said.
by CNB