I had a call from the school bus company today. They were very sorry, but since Grace is currently on crutches due to a potentially cracked bone in her foot, they cannot allow her to ride the bus. Never mind the kids I've seen in the past riding the bus with crutches - we've had to tighten the rules this year, the pleasant voiced lady informed me. And with this rain, it's slippery. And if she falls... And she can't take the crutches to her seat... And getting in and out is hard...
Spare me. I get it. I'll drive her.
I'm not fooled. This is not about Grace's inherent safety, though obviously they prefer to couch it in language that implies otherwise. This is about their own fear of liability and about convenience.
The post office does the same. I've heard of mail failing to be delievered because the step up was an inch higher than the "regulation" allowed.
And school boards, always a bastion of rule establishment, have taken it even further: No home-made snacks. Indoor shoes must have white soles. Math must be in a yellow duo-tang. (Our board hasn't yet gone to the extent one Chicago board did recently-disallowing all packed lunches because they couldn't guarantee they were healthy enough-but the food police are no doubt rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect.)
Some rules are smart. Don't drink and drive. Pay taxes (I could quibble here, but won't). Don't eat raw chicken.
But so many of them, so many more of them it seems, are flimsy and stupid.
Sigh. Feeling rebellious - gonna have to break a rule. But which one?
3 comments:
How about no omega 3 fatty acids because a kid is allergic- when we doth protested and asked for proof ( never heard of such an allergy) turns out the kid is NOT allergic- was TESTED ( and it came back negative) for a fish allergy and the parents deiced the child was allergic- so told the school ....yada yada. Sometimes It hink they make up rules with no thought at all.....
No home made snacks? Wow. My favourite this year was banning balls from school playgrounds. Oooh, they are too dangerous! (shiver with fear)
My kids weren't allowed on the playground equipment in the winter! I'm not a rule-breaker by nature, as you know, but some rules are just STUPID!!! You, on the other hand as I recall, have "break the rules" bubbling under your skin waiting to erupt! I wanna know -- which one did you break? ;)
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