27 August—Once you’ve digested (and likely excreted) the biggest news of the year to date that Travis Kelce has proposed to Taylor Swift, consider Donald Trump’s rather less momentous attempt to fire a Federal Reserve governor for alleged mortgage fraud.

You’ll recall that last year Trump and his two eldest sons and elder daughter were found liable (because in civil litigation there’s technically no guilt) for essentially the same kind of fraud—and lots more and in a much bigger way—in a New York State court. (And don’t forget about Trump’s 34-count felony conviction that’s on hold until—hopefully—he’s no longer tyrant-in-chief.)

Recovered? Then consider the latest Region 20 scandal. The following email was sent to the region’s email subscribers Monday evening. It’s a good letter and a good policy regarding discipline. But it raises questions about inconvenience to the “local businesses and non-designated locations,” the potential of trespass, as well as RSD 20’s and property owners’ contingent liability.

Solutions? A couple of years ago, the Connecticut Department of Transportation was allegedly considering sticking a traffic light on Route 202 at or near the high school driveway. But not for the benefit or safety of high school pupils. Silly idea then, silly idea now. You’d figure that high school kids would know how to cross streets and roads. But a well-marked zebra crossing wouldn’t be inappropriate. As well as speed-limit enforcement, of course.

Is the unpaved area on the high school campus dry enough in wet weather for parking? Can the law be amended to permit teenage drivers to carry passengers to and from school?

Forget about more kids suffering school buses. Young Lincoln is said to have hiked four miles to school. Young Rosenberg is known to have hiked a mile and a half to junior high and later to high school, and to this day has never been on a school bus. Nor tasted school cafeteria food. Lucky bugger.

So here’s the scandal:

Dear Region 20 Families,

We are writing to address a significant safety concern in our community regarding students parking their cars at local businesses and other non-designated locations in Litchfield and walking to school. Over the course of last year, the school system received numerous complaints from concerned citizens who observed students crossing Route 202 in potentially hazardous situations.

We understand the desire and the convenience for high school students who are licensed drivers to transport themselves to school. Unfortunately, Lakeview High School only has sufficient parking for the senior class members. While discussions have been held about building parking lots, the fiscal reality is that there are no funds available for such projects. The district has also considered providing a shuttle to and from Plumb Hill Middle School, but logistics and cost are barriers to this solution as well.

We need your help to address this concern with your student because Region 20 Public Schools does not have legal jurisdiction to monitor students parking in various community locations. We cannot issue school-based discipline measures or other consequences unless conduct outside of school causes disruption inside of school. Parking clearly does not meet this criterion.

Our lack of jurisdiction, however, does not lessen our concern for the safety and well-being of our students. It is to this end that we are asking you to take steps to be sure your student is safe on their way to and from campus. The best way for this to happen is to use district-provided transportation.

Region 20 remains open to exploring alternative safe solutions to this dilemma. Last June, the District participated in the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Policy and Planning Safe School Walking Audit. This process examined the hazards that exist around the school that impact students walking to campus. We are looking forward to receiving this report this fall and hope it will provide suggestions on how we can improve community conditions around the school, particularly from the perspective of walking safely.

We appreciate your support as we collectively navigate this complex issue.

Regards,
Jeffrey A. Villar, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools
Tiffany Parkhouse, Chair, Region 20 Board of Education
Michael Valerio, Principal, Lakeview High School