JaRylan
New member
The poll (I didn't vote, none of the options applied) about driving or taking the bus to school got me thinking about something that has been bothering me for a long time.
Rylan attends a early-intervention integrated pre-school program that is located in a K-8 school. There are 5 children in his class who take a taxi to school...only one of them uses a booster. The one who uses a booster is a skinny, 4 year old boy with a traecheotomy and a nurse and they come in a separate taxi. The little girl with Down's Syndrome doesn't use a seat (but we can't let her do somersaults because of the risk of cervical spine injury - Atlantoaxial Instability). The other children have problems sitting still in class, but I'm sure they do wonderful in the car. Usually there are four children riding in a large sedan, one in the front seat, I don't know if the middle has a shoulder belt or if it is just a lap belt. I don't know if the front seat has airbags. The kids are all under 8 years old. I know that if the parents sent a child restraint (harnessed or booster) the school would use it...but noone seems to be concerned. I think someone even told me that the taxi's have different rules as far as transporting children. I was told Rylan would get his own taxi (paid for by the school program) because of his seizures, in that case I could put his seat into it without delaying everyone else. But I'm not installing any seat, especially a Radian in the taxi, then have the school install it for him to come home, then install it again in my car in case we needed to go somewhere (for fun or emergency) and then start over again in the morning. We live 6 blocks from the school and in addition to the safety issues, I can't fathom the amount of money it would cost the school for that short of a distance. I know that the taxi is necessary for the other children, but I wish there was something I could do to make them safer. For field trips they ride on a bus but it has no seatbelts.
So I guess what I am asking/wanting help with is how should I approach the school or the program director about the safety issues? I don't want to come off like I am trying to tell them how to do their job...but I also don't want them to fall back on current policy. We are in Canada.
What would be the minimum that could be done to improve the situation? If they made it mandatory to use a low back booster with a shoulder belt then at least the belts would be positioned better. Is this the best that I can hope for?
What would be the best solution?
What can be done about the middle position which might only be a lapbelt? Anything, besides don't use it or use a harnessed seat? I don't think there are any options in Canada.
I don't think that harnessed seats would improve the situation much because of the high chance of misuse. Most of the kids are probably out of harnessed seats anyways.
- child under 8 in the front seat, not sure about air bag
- child possibly in a lap belt in the middle back
- no child restraints being used (save for the booster kid with the traecheotomy who bounces off the walls)
- kids are 3-8 years old
- 5 year old girl with Down Syndrome (possible risk for cervical spine injury)
None of this of course addresses the issue of all the "typical" kids who arrive at school in who knows what...one step at a time.
Thanks,
Rylan attends a early-intervention integrated pre-school program that is located in a K-8 school. There are 5 children in his class who take a taxi to school...only one of them uses a booster. The one who uses a booster is a skinny, 4 year old boy with a traecheotomy and a nurse and they come in a separate taxi. The little girl with Down's Syndrome doesn't use a seat (but we can't let her do somersaults because of the risk of cervical spine injury - Atlantoaxial Instability). The other children have problems sitting still in class, but I'm sure they do wonderful in the car. Usually there are four children riding in a large sedan, one in the front seat, I don't know if the middle has a shoulder belt or if it is just a lap belt. I don't know if the front seat has airbags. The kids are all under 8 years old. I know that if the parents sent a child restraint (harnessed or booster) the school would use it...but noone seems to be concerned. I think someone even told me that the taxi's have different rules as far as transporting children. I was told Rylan would get his own taxi (paid for by the school program) because of his seizures, in that case I could put his seat into it without delaying everyone else. But I'm not installing any seat, especially a Radian in the taxi, then have the school install it for him to come home, then install it again in my car in case we needed to go somewhere (for fun or emergency) and then start over again in the morning. We live 6 blocks from the school and in addition to the safety issues, I can't fathom the amount of money it would cost the school for that short of a distance. I know that the taxi is necessary for the other children, but I wish there was something I could do to make them safer. For field trips they ride on a bus but it has no seatbelts.
So I guess what I am asking/wanting help with is how should I approach the school or the program director about the safety issues? I don't want to come off like I am trying to tell them how to do their job...but I also don't want them to fall back on current policy. We are in Canada.
What would be the minimum that could be done to improve the situation? If they made it mandatory to use a low back booster with a shoulder belt then at least the belts would be positioned better. Is this the best that I can hope for?
What would be the best solution?
What can be done about the middle position which might only be a lapbelt? Anything, besides don't use it or use a harnessed seat? I don't think there are any options in Canada.
I don't think that harnessed seats would improve the situation much because of the high chance of misuse. Most of the kids are probably out of harnessed seats anyways.
- child under 8 in the front seat, not sure about air bag
- child possibly in a lap belt in the middle back
- no child restraints being used (save for the booster kid with the traecheotomy who bounces off the walls)
- kids are 3-8 years old
- 5 year old girl with Down Syndrome (possible risk for cervical spine injury)
None of this of course addresses the issue of all the "typical" kids who arrive at school in who knows what...one step at a time.
Thanks,
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