Back to School
Each August Missourians head back to school. Communities and schools around the state spend weeks preparing to welcome students back for another year. After the summer months off from the regular school schedule, we could all — parents and students alike — use a refresher course on school zone safety.
Along with children returning to school comes the increase of buses on our roadways. Please remember to slow down, not only in school zones, but everywhere. There will be more vehicles on the roads, people walking and children riding their bicycles — especially in the mornings and afternoons. There are more than 30,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in this district and many of them ride the bus. These are not just short bus rides to a school down the street. Some of these students may be on the bus for an hour or more, and while it is their responsibility to obey the bus driver, who must keep them safe, it is our job to make sure we obey the laws of the road that are in place to ensure their safety. Be careful on our rural roads. A driver will not see a bus stopped on a skinny, crooked road when he is driving too fast. Speeding puts lives at risk.
If you can, make sure you donate to your local back to school drive for classroom supplies. Along with everything else, the cost of school continues to climb. This holds true not only for colleges and universities, but for the essentials that our children need from grade school through high school. Help out, even if you do not have children or grandchildren attending school. Every little bit helps, and it is good for our communities and our future.
Many schools have volunteer opportunities as well. It only takes a few hours a week to help in the office, assist with safety at crosswalks in front of schools, listen to children read or any number of things that schools need help with. It can be a rewarding experience for the students and for you.
It has only been three months since schools let out for the summer. We will all be “back in the groove” soon enough, so let us make this another great fall for our children and for our communities.
As always, I appreciate it when groups from around Missouri and from our community back home come to visit me at the Capitol. If you would like to arrange a time to come and visit me in Jefferson City, or if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact my Capitol office at (573) 751-1882.