Letters to the Editor

Scooter-riding youngster needs safety lessons

The photographs of 3-year-old Michael Carr, "Young Rider makes a splash in whetting his scooter skills" (The Advertiser, March 19) was not cute, it was unsafe.

The Centers for Disease Control reported a dramatic increase in scooter-related injuries requiring emergency room attention in the past two years. Eighty-five percent of those treated in emergency rooms with scooter-related injuries were children less that 15 years old.

So what was wrong with that adorable toddler doing acrobatics on the scooter?

First, a 3-year-old is not developmentally equipped to handle the multiple tasks required to ride a scooter safely. Scooter riding takes coordination, concentration, balance and the ability to look forward and to the sides for objects, people and cars.

Secondly, Michael was not wearing the protective gear (helmet and pads) needed to prevent injuries. Based on statistics from inline skating and bicycle data, the CDC estimated that helmet use prevents 85 percent of all head injuries and kneepad use prevents 32 percent of knee injuries.

Based on a review of scooter-related injuries, the CDC recommends that helmets that meet current safety standards and elbow and knee pads be worn, scooters should be used on dry, flat surfaces away from streets and traffic, scooters should not be used at night and young children should not use scooters without close supervision.

I encourage all parents, teachers, health professionals and concerned citizens to address this issue with all children. Furthermore, teach scooter safety principles to all children seen on a scooter without protective gear or handling the scooter in an unsafe manner. Additionally, I urge The Advertiser to use only safe, cute photos for human-interest articles. With guidance and a commitment to safety, we can bring a downward trend to the number of children injured using these fun rides.

Victoria P. Niederhauser
Assistant Professor, University of Hawai'i School of Nursing

Teachers deserve part-time pay

I think most people agree that teachers deserve some level of a pay raise. However, because teachers' schedules are unique, I believe we must compare hourly pay as opposed to annual income.

The state is currently offering starting teachers $35,000 per year. This income would be received for 6.5 hours per day for 185 work days per year. That equates to $31.53 per hour. If one were to work in a "normal" 8-hour job, 52 weeks per year, that hourly pay would produce $65,586 per year. By the same math, the state is currently offering a maximum pay of $65,000, which would equate with $121,801 per year.

Thus based upon hours required to work, teacher salaries are not terribly less than those of us who choose to work in traditional full-time jobs. While teachers might deserve a raise, I don't think they should receive full-time salaries for part-time hours.

Kamuela Kea

Problem in schools is mismanagement

Finally, Cliff Slater gets its right ("DOE Problem is Management," March 6). In order to stop continuing decline in public education, the leadership of this state must change the school management.

As Slater says, with "a $1.3 billion enterprise with 24,000 employees, 240 locations and 190,000 customers (students)," the DOE mismanagement must stop. Hawai'i needs to begin with the premise that the center and focus of all schooling is teacher-student interaction.

It is in the classroom where learning takes place. Nearly all educational resources must be placed in the classroom and the teachers are of the essence.

Paying teachers well is basic to this monumental endeavor. In order to stop the impending public school teachers strike, offer the teachers the highest salaries possible. That would be an effective beginning.

Bruce G. Karolle
Retired teacher, Big Island resident

Keeping violence out of our schools

Violence in schools is something that really needs to be addressed. I think that we can avoid shootings in schools if we have activities where the students are able to interact with each other. That way, students can get to know each other instead of judging people without even getting to know them. Activities will also help entertain students and keep them occupied.

I also think that school uniforms would help decrease school violence. It would also help students pay more attention to the task at hand. School uniforms will also prevent jealousy and petty fights. They will also save a lot of money.

Tawny Antonio

Safety of all children should be main concern

I read with interest the Hawai'i Labor Relations Board decision to declare 322 special education teachers "essential workers" in the event of a teachers' strike. The board says this decision was made because these 322 teachers are required to "avoid or remove any imminent or present danger to the public health or safety."

Baloney. This decision is a political one, made with one eye toward public relations and the other squarely on the Felix court monitor. Of course special needs students' health and safety will be at risk if they attend school during a strike. But where's the board's concern for regular education students? My older son, born in December, began kindergarten when he was 4 years old. Wouldn't his health and safety be of concern? What about 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds? My younger son is presently in fourth grade. I won't send him to school during a strike because of my concern for his safety without adequate supervision. Doesn't the state value the health and safety of every child?

Rebecca Rosenberg
Kailua

More unnecessary state expenditures

Here we go again: Spend $1 million to "establish a state chief information officer" when the Office of Information Practices, watchdog of Hawai'i's Sunshine Law for the past 16 years, is hampered in keeping its director and staff's annual budget from further reduction.

A replay of the Legislature's machinations to circumvent mandated public access to government noted in my 1993 letter to the editor when the lieutenant governor was then proposed for the office. Albeit a plethora of ongoing Advertiser coverage and editorials, my previous valid question "Polecat guarding the hen house?" is again to be answered.

John K. Kingsley
Wahiawa