Whose fault is it?

As is most of the teaching/safety world, I am frustrated by Jarod's law. I do understand that a small child was killed due to a safety issue in a school that apparently no one was in charge of keeping track of, but this seems like a situation where the consequence does not fit the crime. As with most of you, my school has been inspected and we got back our suggested modifications. Some are reasonable, but most are not. My concern for the future is not whether our schools will be safer or not, but where is the funding going to come from to enforce all of these rules. Will this issue still seem so important 5 or 10 years from now, or will it be simply pushed aside? And, I have to agree with Dr. Scott, what in the world is wrong with this table company? If I am going to place blame, that is exactly where I go, back to the source. Schools have enough responsibility and worry that goes into educating and caring for children daily, they should not have to be so weary of companies who claim to make products to make our lives in a school "easier". This is certainly not the case in this issue. 

Jarod's Law - is it too much?

Okay, so I just finished watching the Jarod’s Law video and news clips from Kari‘s presentation. It is so sad what has happened to this little boy and the pain his family went through and is still going through. I could understand the family wanting to make a difference after finding out that other children died from this same kind of accident and nothing had been done about these tables.
However, I read through the stipulations of Jarod’s Law and it has gone off the deep end. I totally agree that schools should provide a safe atmosphere for children to learn. I don’t think that any school is in a situation that they knowingly are unsafe for the children to come there everyday. (Okay, maybe a few once I looked through the list of Jarod’s Law Health Inspection sheet.) Come on, it is not this safe anywhere in the USA that I could imagine - how about our homes and local stores!? Most of the items listed seem like common sense. Someone in class mentioned a lipgloss being taken out of a teacher’s drawer because of the health inspections - maybe the students should be taught not to go into the teacher’s drawers. I read online that the Ohio Department of Health is responsible for developing the forms, templates and checklists to be used before and after the inspection. Also, the ODH has to develop a list of dangerous and recalled products that might be found in schools and distribute this list to the schools. Who was paying for all of this before, did the ODH receive addition funding for this project or is it just dividing it among the employees they already have - adding more workload.
I am not saying that this bill is not effective - I have 3 children in school and I am trusting that the school is doing everything to keep them safe. My questions are who is paying for all of this? Did the ODH receive additional funding in Jarod’s Law? Did the lawmakers take into account all of the additional money that needed to be spent for someone to check for litter outside the building and make sure there is no standing water on the playground?

Safety In Schools

I was not familiar with Jarod's Law until Kari gave her presentation. I feel terrible that this tragedy could have been prevented. I think that the overall goal of Jarod's law is good but that it is so extensive that is limits the experience that students should be able to have to truly learn. It should be the schools responsibility to create the safest experience possible. However, I am afraid that the students will be so protected that they wont know how to solve their own problems. I also do not want all the fun to be taken out of learning. For example, at my school the students love reading on the carpet and on bean bag chairs. It would be a shame if all these resources were taken away.
When reading about Jarod's Law it said that all schools who receive government funding must comply with the law. I work at a charter school and I have not heard anyone there talk about Jarod's Law. Also since Kari's presentation I have seen that my school violates some of the rules that are stated in the School Environmental Health and Safety Inspection checklist. For example my school stores folding chairs in the hallways which Jarod's Law does not permit. My school also has carpeting around water fountains which is not allowed because moisture will acumulate. At least at my school it does not seem like yearly health and safety inspections are being done. It seems like more needs to be done to make sure that schools are following the regulations stated in Jarod's Law.

The Safety of Our Nation's Children:The Effect of Jarod's Law

Kari's presentation of Jarod's Law was very throrough and informative. I had heard of the untimely and unfortunate death of young Jarod but was unaware of the impact of this sad story. How can there be any questions or doubts that children are members of society? The children of today will grow up to be our law makers, educators, nurses, doctors and yes, even sanitation workers. Everyday my children wake up and go to school. For them it is a place where they go to learn...whether they like it or not...but it is also the place they go to socialize with their friends. As parents we all believe that our children are safe while at school, but as Brian and Kari, and the media, continues to remind us, this is not the case.
The purpose of Jarod's Law is to "pursue safer schools for Ohio children" (http://www.the-bennetts.com/WhyJL.htm.) It's so tragic that this young boy's death brought to light the fact that nobody was being responsible for the general safety and inspection in our schools. Now the law is in place, but it places furtherf inancial burden burden on our districts because even though the State is mandating it, the State is not allocating money for the expenses or needed adjustments to correct the violations according to the article Jarod's Law Redefines School Safety Standards.
I agree totally with Mary on her blog in rference to protecting the children but not at the cost of our tax dollars. The State and Federal government are so quick to omplement laws and standards but without proper financial backing. Whatever happened to the old proverb "it takes a village to raise a child"? We, the parents and educators are the village, and we need to work collaboratively to protect and educate our future generation, who will in turn set standards for our society, our nation. Does that last statement worry you? It should!

Jarod's law

First of all I must say that I think what happened to Jarod to create Jarod’s law is horrible. But I do think the law took some safety precautions a bit far. Even in the law itself it sates that “the purpose of the school inspection rules is to provide minimum standards and procedures for inspection for school.” I think the purpose should be to make a safe environment for students to learn but secondly, if this is the minimum amount than I would be afraid to see the maximum.
The school environment should be the baby step to learning how to become independent individuals in society. If they are suppose to be members of society as stated in the quote then shouldn’t we expect the students to have some responsibilities in their behavior in school. When they leave the school setting they will need to know how to keep themselves safe and know how to do things on their own. I feel like in todays school setting students have little responsibility to be accountable for their actions. I once had a lab where the kids had to toss paper plates to see how far they would through them, working on estimation and measuring skills. I set it up with the as many safety precautions that I could but of course one of my students threw a plate when another student was walking in an area they were not suppose to and got hit. Now even though I took as many safety precautions as I could someone still got hurt because they were doing what they were not suppose to be doing. So is that now my fault or the students? It would probably be mine for not having adequate space for the activity but I have to work with what I have and took as many precautions that I could. Plus, I work with teenagers so I thought they would know how to handle paper plates by now. So whose fault is it?
When reading over the new restrictions I started thinking about what older school buildings, that can’t afford remodeling, will do to adjust to the new standards. Also, what are the penalties of not following the rules? Do they have to pay a fee? I just think it will be hard for all schools to fit all the regulations. For example, one of the rules is to restrict noise, including traffic noises. If the school was built many years ago there is really nothing you can do to prevent this distraction. Or if they start construction by the school that is not the schools fault or choice. I know as a teacher I too hate when there are distractions outside but I do the best I can do to limit them but there is not much more I can do. In the end I believe we should make the school as safe as we possibly can but knowing that we can only work with what we have. Not all schools are modern schools and will not be able to be up to code on all the rules. Also, the school setting should be a starting point for entering the real world. If there are already members of society then they should know how to handle themselves and be safe in all environments. We are there to assist these skills and make sure they are making the right decisions throughout the day. If we make the school environment such a safety bubble then they will be shock when they are suddenly on their own and not use to different situations that may occur. I think it’s important to teach the kids how to be safe and responsible for themselves. So we should do our best to protect them but the students also should hold a level of responsibility of there own.

Keep Our Children Safe

Children are indeed members of society starting when they come out of the womb. We as parents and teachers need to do everything in our power to protect them.

I was not familiar with Jarod's Law until reading Kari's presentation just a few minutes ago. It is a tragic event that should have never happened. In the article "Jarod's Law Redefines School Safety Standards," health officials regard it as one of the most comprehensive school safety programs in the country. I read in Kari's presentation that the safety inspectors come out on a yearly basis and complete a thorough inspection. Is it only the non public and public schools that get inspected? Do they look at charter schools or daycares or pre-schools at all? Children cannot learn in an environment that is unsafe. Many complain that the cost of these saftey precautions are taking away from their children's education. I know I would only send my child to a school that was safe and had a strict safety code and or manual for parents to read. Accidents like Jarod's should have never happened. Those are the types of accidents that can easily be prevented. I don't understand why more states have not adopted this law. The research shows that it is indeed helping since the law is very strict on the inspections and getting problems solved in a timely manner. Money should not be the reason our children can't be protected in our schools.

Protecting the School Society

Because children are members of our society, it is our duty as a whole society to protect every member. Therefore, it makes sense that Jarod’s Law would be enacted.

Essentially this law will help better protect all the members of the school society. In Kari Patrick’s presentation on Jarod’s Law, it was mentioned in a report by Deb Silverman that the safety standards in schools had not been revised since the late 1970’s (1977). This new Ohio House Bill 203 was signed by Governor Taft on December19, 2005. According to Deb Silverman from her report “Jarod’s Law Redefines School Safety Standards”, health officials have recognized it as one of the most comprehensive school safety programs in the country. Obviously, a lot of time has elapsed and through the tragedy of this young boy, new safety guidelines have to be enforced in schools (http://www.odh.ohio.gov/rules/final/f3701-54.aspx ).

Under this new law, schools will be required to have yearly inspections to identify any hazardous materials that need to be removed or stored properly, or building/playground equipment that are in violation of the code, according to Ms. Patrick. Who is going to pay to fix these problems? I like what Ms. Patrick quoted from an anonymous blog posting, “I fully support the safety of school children as much as the next human being, but I must ask, safety at what cost? At the cost of education? At the cost of interest in science and knowing, and seeking the truth with one’s own hands and intellect”(http://introverteddeviate.blogspot.com).

Yes, we need to protect all members of our society, even our children in our schools, but at the cost of their overall education, and at the cost of our tax dollar? Accidents will happen, and it is so very sad this tragic one did to the Bennett family. Will this new law take precaution to the extreme? Guess we will have to wait and see.