I was driving past a 100-year-old Tacoma grade school. It had 3- and 4-year-olds coming out the back door running like wild little kids do, coming right at me to reach the bus waiting 87 feet away on the street. The bus gate was not out. (That’s state law I learned later.) Three adults were at the back door of the school.
This was an accident waiting to happen! So, in March 2022, I spoke during the Tacoma school board comment time about this issue. I then went back two more times to again address what I saw as a tragedy waiting to happen. This school in October modified their bus pick-up for 3- and 4-year-olds.
About three weeks ago I talked to the assistant to the state school superintendent and asked that all school districts know about the potential for accidents at old schools that don’t have a parking lot for bus pickups. As of today, it’s been two days and the assistant hasn’t called me back. If I had told this to my Tacoma teacher daughter 13 years ago, she would have said, “Dad what are you going to do about it?”
