State Patrol: Don't stop for bus on opposite side of Guide Meridian

The Washington State Patrol would like to remind drivers they are not required to stop for school buses on four-lane highways when the bus is traveling in the opposite direction.

People who drive on four-lane highways, such as Guide Meridian, should slow down and proceed with caution when a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing in the opposite lanes, Trooper Keith Leary said. Those who stop in the middle of traffic for school buses could inadvertently cause a collision, he said.

The Washington State Patrol has received a number of complaints from drivers who have had to slam their brakes on Guide Meridian to avoid hitting cars that have stopped for buses when they shouldn't have, Leary said.

School threat could be piece of robbery plot

A pair of school lockdowns, a bank robbery and plenty of panicked parents.

It wasn’t your average end to the week for two school districts on opposite ends of Pierce County. No one was hurt by the time the final bells rang, but the day could make for an intriguing episode of “NYPD Blue.”

First on Friday, gunshots were fired at a Sumner High School parking lot around 8 a.m., causing administrators to declare a lockdown for about an hour. Authorities later discovered the shots came from a pellet gun.

What about separation of church and state?

Re: “Kids embrace message of love” (TNT, 4-15).

Thousands of schoolchildren were bused to KeyArena to hear the spiritual words of wisdom from the Dalai Lama. We’re told that it wasn’t a religious meeting but a secular event.

The Dalai Lama holds the highest position of leadership in the Buddhist faith. I can’t help but wonder what kind of outcry would occur if it were Pat Robertson or Billy Graham the children were “bused to” under the approval of local governments.

Encourage students to report gun threats to school staff

Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a letter sent to district parents Friday by University Place School District Superintendent Patti Banks. Although it describes problems in University Place schools caused by unfounded security threats, the advice she offers applies to all public schools.

This letter comes in the wake of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, Thursday’s weapons-related incident at a Federal Way high school, the anxiety attendant upon Friday’s anniversary of the Columbine school shootings, and a series of rampant rumors and subsequent events at our Curtis Junior High School.

School Board OKs GPS units for buses

Tacoma Schools officials soon will be able to know where every one of their buses is at any given moment – and what’s happening on them.

If you’re a parent, that could be welcome comfort.

If you’re a student, your fights and pranks likely will be caught on tape. You’ll no longer have to guess whether there’s a camera in that box on the bus; they’ll all have one.