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6 WI4ib FM éPi i :Wed ~Y. AsI,1993 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whîtby residents for Whitby residents! MEMBER 0F: ONTARIO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION EELMUCANADIAN ;1CIRCULATIONS CNA DIVISION AUDIT BOARD 25,500 COPIES DELIVERED WEEKLYI Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N, Whitby, Ontario Li N 551 Phone: 668-6111 Toronto Line: 427-1834 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 2061oOb recycîed content using vegetable based inks. 'Frustrated' over decision To the Edtor:- stubborn, 'don't boek down' attitude that. gave only lip service To the edîtor: Copy of the letter to Durham Board of Education Dear Board Members: On Mardi 15, more than 30 to the parents and no -appreciative 'e, in ' "'v tll residents from the Moming Glory/ consideration at ail to the supporters of the Durham West Tamarisk/GladioIa neigàhbourhood Education Act. Learning Disabilities Association, in Whitby were treated to the We aiso found that some wish to express our deep concern Durham separate schooI board's trustees on the regional board for our iearning disabled students. version * 0f participatory looked at the issue from a The board has recentiy made a democracy, parental invovement, territorial standpoint, rather than decîsion to cut about 58 teaching honesty and integrity. f rom a regilonai out look. positions. It has come to our Ultimately, the trustees For example, Jim McCafferty, attention that at the secondary supported the staff position (voting Kevin Ashe and Mary Zecchino level, the cuts include f ive learning 8-6) that busslng b. dlscontinued from Pickering ciosed their eyes strategies teachers, eight to the children of our area, thus and ears as there was no politîcal academic resource teachers and requiring them to walk more than value to them -- and they were three special education resource 1.7 kms. each way to school. q uite ' blunt about it. Ashe and teachers. The decision was made despite Zecchino did flot returfi our phone We are being assured that statements from local police, calis and MèçCafferty hung up oni principals can still find ways of parents of the chiîdren and many two of our parents. servictng Iearning disabled of the trustees themseives, The Durham regional Roman students. However, we understand regarding ether the distance being Cathoîic separate school board is that it is the position of the excessive or a piethora of one of the few boards in Ontario teachers' federation that if the safety-security issues facing the t hat is flot in a def icit position. principals use teachers from their children. The bussing of our children is a aiiocated compiement, they will be Some of these children will stili $10.000 item. There are many in violation of their collective be three years oId when school other transportation items that are agreement with the board. How begins in September. Even fair iess essential than the bussing many principals will want to be in ministry of education. staff raised of kindergarten chiidren over 1.7 that position? concernis with separate board kms. to school. We fear that in the elementary m anagers, who. utimately refusec' i stili have hope that some schools, where many teaching to be responsive to a parental glimmer of fairness will corne of positions have been eliminated as request for a fair and equitable our input into this matter. Perhaps weil, there wiil bu a serious decision in keeping with trans- the trustees will postpone the reduction in service to your portation poîicy across the regiofi. decision until a cross-sectional Iearning disabled students. Wiil the The important decision was aiso analysis is done. 1 can then accept princpals want to have larger mad depie te tcttha f vea 'decision that is proven to bbu reguar classes in order to keep LS trustees were vacationing (March consistent with ongoirlg practice, classes? Bieéak) and could not attend the but 1 refuse to bu used as a There may bu a tendency to meeting. This Ieads one to, precedent. mainstream these students and to uestion whether we need ail of Finaliy, should the decision of further reduc.e the number of ths people as a burden to our March 15 stand, 1 cannot allow my IPRC's. Wýa feel strongly that taxation system. children to walk over one mile these seif-contained classes are As one of the parents involved each way to schooi. My wife and 1 essential for some students to in the six-month process with the are joinirng the growing group of achieve academic success. board and its trustees, 1 arn parents who ýwili move our In our presentation to the frustrated, angry and disheartened. children, and our support, to the finance corimittee, we expressed Our group ot parents deait with public board of education. a concern that some LS classes the maiter in a highly organized, This is not- an issue of finance were encompassing primary, junior professional and (usually) polite for us, but a matter of practicality and intermediate students. The manner. Board staff continuaily anid integrity. The managers and cuts that have buen made couid presented trustees with erroneous trustees of the separate board are resuit in an increase in the numbur information that ou group the leaders of a schooi system that of classes of mixed peer groups. contradicted with exact data, utiniately reflects their values. We Reductions you have made to officiai letters, etc. do flot want our children to end up thenumber of academic resource We stilI maintain that no like t hem. teachers wilI seriousiy affect the kindergarten or Grade 1 chiid in service to ail students with learning Durham Region is left to walk 17 Blair Dyson disabilities, whether they have kms. to sohool. Whltby buen identif ied or flot. That challenge was neyer directly, or correctly, responded to. policthe-bordat ast proedurai wnSpring 'chicken' in c Nowthe-bordel hast broe itrow guideline -- despite parental and To the Editor: those cycliss who flashed by me ministerial 'iniput.' at ail-out speeds, usualiy from the As a parent and taxpayer (heu - With the sidewalks bare again rear. as an aduit and human being), 1 amn comnes the challenge of survival. The object of the game seems disgusted by the attitude of board Once more, we pedestnians to, bu to corne as close to the administrators and many of the become the victims of the 'chicken' without actually knocking trustees. 'chicken' game. We become the Rt down. Somehow, we expected these 'chickensrgmi o brre o people te be responsive, objective, g is n bare fo equa" - pfhas even Last year, 1 was siubjected to' participation; age 8 to 80 qualifies *oonSmgtoeryRthe weinetwith a - _ê120ws, -oerses and obseM!tes'by you as efther a victim or a player. There have also been cuts to the area teams which have meant a serious reduction -,-the prof essional staff who are available to work with teachers and students in the schooîs. Especiaîiy when the economic times are tough, public institutions have a responsibiiity to cîearîy estaIblish which services are vitaîly important and must be maintained. Why is it that chiidren who aIready have severai strikes against them, now have to be further disadvantaged? This is untair, and we urge that board to reconsider the effects that their decisions wilI have on To the Edltor: Re: Crosswalk at Frederickl Bradley and Anderson streets. The Iatest horror story at the above crosswaik aimost happened on March 26 as several ciassrooms of students from 'St. Theresa's Schooi crossed on their way to HoIy Family Church. A woman in a van decided at the last moment flot to stop and came close to plowing through these children. What is to bu done here? 1 have seen so many close calîs at this corner it makes my stomach turfi. One day, a girl in front of me had to jump out of the way of a van that went right through the flashing lights. Cars dspite t he signs posted. There have buen many other incidents where 1 have cîosed my eyes and prayed that when I opened themn again there wouldn't bu a body on the pavement. 1 have taught my children flot to step off the curb without making sure every single lane ef traffic has stopped, but flot every chiîd knows enougfl to CdO tfl. but, in spîte ot that, 1 arn still af raid that one day there wili bu a lane that my child has thought clear, and a vehicle wiII go on through. 1 urge ail families that use this crosswalk to write to the mayor crucially important LS programs, to which many students are IegalIy entitled. Does the board reaiîy wish to be responsibie for potentialîy increasing the number of dropouts, and an increased need for social services? Perhaps by reversing some of these il-advised budget cuts now, the board couId best serve the public interest in the longer term. Jolco McKay, Preeident Durham West Learning Disabililtes Association and voice your dispîeasure. Parents of chiîdren who use the crosswaîk, ask your children the difficuhty they h ave getting across Anderson. I arn sure they couîd write a shocking letter or two. The time for passing the buck to the Region, because this is a regional road, is over. This crosswaîk is in the Town of Whitby and the citizens of Whitby use it. The wiring and the poles are in place for a traffic ight systemn using the red, caution and green lights. Mtorists wiIl be more aware because these lights are more visible and possibly they may stop because they think the lights look more 'off iciai.' Let's flot wait for a death such as Oshawa has had to experience. Our chiîdren need protection. Mr&~ C. Robinson WhItby Much4t The War Amps khallenge for survival Should the 'chicken' disobey the unwritten law by not adhering to a st raig ht uine, h e is deemed unco-operative, lacking in understanding and beyond the pale. The tact thet this encounter scares the living daylights eut ef pedestrians and subjects theai te the possiifity of a majgor injury is of no conseq uence. Though riding bicycles on a sidewalk is in violation of the law, 1 arn still wiliîng to share space, but, please, hlot 'mny' space. As a senior, let me waik about feeling like a 'spring chicken' not as a player in tins outrageous garne. A. Roy Nth.rcott' Whltby To the ior Cuts could affect Iearning disabled Another close cail m CCNA