Manitoba’s education critic says he’s received a flurry of 4,600 emails and letters complaining about proposed public school amendments, including a complaint the proposed rules could erode religious freedoms.
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North Carolina state troopers arrested a high school principal from Hyde County over the weekend on suspicion of driving while impaired. Authorities claim that the Mattamuskeet High School principle was driving a school-owned vehicle when he was arrested.
State troopers claim that the man measured 0.11 percent blood alcohol concentration after he was taken into custody. North Carolina law presumes impairment for any driver who measures 0.08 percent BAC or more.
DWI defense lawyers in North Carolina know that a person accused of drunk driving remains innocent until proven guilty. This blog has previously discussed collateral issues that can flow if a person is convicted of an alcohol-related offense. The high school principal reportedly has taken leave from his role as principal while the school district completes an independent probe into the DWI allegations.
Troopers claim that the 57-year-old man crashed the school-owned car while traveling on U.S. 264. Authorities believe that the driver took a curve too fast and lost control after over-correcting on the curve.
The car struck a utility pole alongside U.S. 264 near Swan Quarter, North Carolina. Law enforcement says that the driver’s-side fender of the county-owned vehicle, a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria, was damaged in the car accident. The wreck was reported around 12:45 Saturday afternoon.
Troopers ultimately arrested the school principal for drunk driving. A court date on the DWI allegations is scheduled for March 6. Meanwhile, the high school official is out on annual leave. This is the man’s first year as principal of the school.
Sources:
The 85 children evacuated from Lake St. Martin need to head back to class, the province says.
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The morning school run is a high-risk time for Davie car accidents. With plenty of people on the road trying to get to school and then to work, there’s often congestion, frayed tempers, and therefore a high risk of Davie traffic accidents. To reduce your risk of accidents during this time of morning, make sure that you:
1) Talk to your child about pedestrian safety and distracted walking. If your child walks to school, you can help your child prevent a Davie pedestrian accident by teaching your child to stay safe. Walk the route to school with your child, pointing out any possible dangers and reviewing the safety tips that are relevant for the walk. In many cases, children like listening to music or texting while they walk. Make sure that your child does not do this, as distracted walking can cause your child walk out into traffic.
2) Give yourself plenty of time if you are dropping your child off at school. If you are driving your child to school, you can help prevent Davie traffic accidents by giving yourself additional time. While this may mean getting up earlier, it can also help prevent the speeding and aggressive driving that are all too common during the school rush.
3) Be alert for others – including buses, pedestrians, and kids on bikes – sharing the road, especially close to the school.
4) Use good communication skills. When dropping your child off at school, make sure that you make eye contact with pedestrians, bicyclists, and other motorists to ensure that you are visible and that you are communicating well with others who share the road with you.
5) Stay focused. While texting and driving is not illegal in Florida, any form of distracted driving can be extremely dangerous to you and your child. Distracted driving leads to many Davie truck accidents and traffic accidents each year, so put your mobile devices away and focus fully on the drive to school rather than on distractions.
6) Follow speed limits. Speeding significantly increases your risk of a collision.
7) Drop your child off in a safe zone. Your child is at risk if you drop them off where there is a high traffic volume and fewer pedestrian areas. If your school has a drop off zone that allows you to deposit your child right at a pedestrian area, this is often the safest possibility. If this is not an option, drop your child off in an area with good pedestrian walkways, easy access to the school, and low traffic. If it is difficult to find such an area, encourage your child’s school to create a safe drop-off zone.
A motorist reportedly called authorities last Wednesday to report a school bus driver who was allegedly driving erratically. Eventually, the bus driver for the Yadkin County schools was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired. However, news reports indicate that the basis of the DWI charges apparently does not include allegations of alcohol consumption, but rather some form of medication.
Many drivers in North Carolina may be shocked to learn that medications, even legally prescribed medications, can lead to DWI charges in the state. It is unclear in the public media what medication police believe that the bus driver may have taken before the recent arrest. However, the bus driver was arrested on suspicion of DWI, and was also reportedly fired after the allegations arose.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol claims that the school bus drove off of the roadway while traveling on Old Highway 421 Wednesday. The authorities say that the bus nearly hit a sign and a tree in that alleged incident. Police claim that the bus was ultimately involved in some kind of accident and the driver fled the scene with 15 students onboard. Details of that alleged accident are also not covered in media reports.
Police claim that when they spoke with the bus driver, he said that he had taken some form of medication that had made him drowsy. Apparently, based at least in part on that alleged statement, law enforcement arrested the driver on suspicion of DWI, failing to maintain control and leaving the scene of an accident. Apparently, law enforcement obtained a sample from the driver that will be used for toxicology tests.
None of the students were harmed.
Source: WFMY News 2 via digitriad.com, “Bus Driver Charged With DWI, Left Scene After Crash With Students On Bus In Yadkin County,” June 8, 2012
It doesn’t appear anything was stolen when a man broke in to a Steinbach school Jan. 1.
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The start of the school year means a return of the school-year routine for many families. If you have a child, your morning routine will likely mean a commute to school. If you drive your child to school, you will need to plan ahead to reduce the risk of a Florida car accident on the way to school. Unfortunately, traffic accidents frequently occur on the morning school commute, as dozens of parents are dropping off children and trying to scramble through a hectic morning. You can reduce your risk if you:
1) Encourage your school to create a drop-off zone. A drop-off zone at school usually is apart from school buses and is designed to handle high-flow levels of traffic. This is far more convenient and safer than trying to drop off a child near school bus lanes or near a busy school parking lot.
2) Consider car pooling. Arranging for car pooling for your child reduces stress and saves you time. Arranging car pooling at your child’s school also reduces the number of cars pulling up by the school, which can reduce the risk of collisions.
3) Get your car checked out. A well-maintained car will respond better, making it easier for you to stop suddenly if you need to.
4) Do a test run. If you are new to a school, especially, consider visiting the school some morning before classes start. Test out different routes to the school and time how long the drive takes (but make sure to factor in morning traffic during the school year). Consider where you can park and where you can drop your child off. Take note of the school bus zones as well so that you are prepared for the morning commute.
5) Create a time schedule to keep mornings less hectic. A chaotic morning can increase your risk of an accident because it is distracting to be rushing and thinking about the time. Set up a system by the door and have each child place their shoes, coats, and full backpacks by the door. Set out clothing the night before. Consider pre-packed lunches or wake early to pack them. Shaving off time in the morning also ensures you don’t have to get up too early, which reduces the risk of driving fatigued.
6) Consider alternative forms of transport. If your school offers a bus ride, consider this as a viable alternative. While Florida bus accidents do occur, they are statistically far rarer than car accidents.
7) Consider parking a block from school and walking. If your child’s school is large and has no drop-off zone, you may find the traffic near the school too chaotic and unsafe. Parking a short distance away and walking up can be safer, especially if the entrance to the school is a distance away from car traffic.
If your teen has gotten a driver’s license over the summer, he or she may be excited about driving to school for the first time. However, it is natural to have some qualms about this as a parent. After all, the news reports daily on deadly Florida truck accidents and car accidents. Before letting your teen drive to and from school, you may want to ask the following questions:
1) Does your teen have a reliable car? A car that is not in good repair is a considerable danger, because it may not respond adequately if your teen needs to make a sudden move to avoid an accident. You may want to ask your teen to make sure that their car is in good shape before being allowed to drive to and from school. A summer car may not be adequate for the daily wear and tear of a daily commute.
2) Can your teen find a safe parking space nearby? Some high schools provide parking to students, but in other cases students need to find a spot on nearby streets. Are these streets safe to park on? Is parking adequate? Can your teen parallel park well enough to squeeze into a parking spot? Make sure that your teen can park safely and close enough not to have to be late for class.
3) Is your teen willing to sign pledges not to drink and drive or text and drive? Using a cell phone while driving or drinking and driving should carry serious penalties – such as the loss of driving privileges. Get it down on paper.
4) Can you agree on a route to school? Go over the routes to school, with an eye for safety and traffic.
5) Will your teen want to take friends to school? Extra passengers in the car add considerably to distraction for the driver and increase the risk of a Florida pedestrian accident or traffic accident. It is also difficult to enforce how many passengers your teen has in their car. Nevertheless, you will want to impose a passenger limit and have penalties in place if your teen driver disobeys this rule.
6) How will you know where your teen will be after school? One of the dangers of driving to and from school is that your teen may drive off after classes and may forget to tell you where he or she is going. You may need to have rules in place to ensure that you know where your teen is.
7) Has your teen received adequate driver training? Basic driving training is great, but giving your teen additional private lessons means added experience behind the wheel. Additional defensive driving courses are also a smart investment because they give your new driver additional skills to prevent a Florida car accident.
Will your teen be driving home in the dark? If your teen has after-school commitments, in the winter he or she may be driving home in the dark. However, most driver training and driver’s tests do not test night driving.
9) Does your teen have adequate experience with you in the passenger’s seat? Driving along in the passenger’s seat when your new driver heads out for a drive can help reassure you that your teen has the driving skills needed to take a car out daily. If you find that your teen has bad habits or dangerous habits, you have a chance to notice this and address it with further training before extending further driving privileges.
A Duplin County school bus driver has been fired after allegations arose that she was driving a bus while impaired. School officials say they contacted law enforcement and North Carolina DWI charges are pending. The allegations do not include any evidence of erratic driving and no accident was involved in the incident.
The school bus apparently was running late and a parent called the bus garage seeking to find out why the bus had not yet arrived at the bus stop. The director at the garage contacted the bus driver who reportedly said she was not feeling well. The director told the driver to pull over and sent a backup driver to complete the route.
The director went to assist the bus driver, finding the bus pulled over at the side of the road. The director thought the driver looked ill and called paramedics to have the woman checked out. The 31-year-old bus driver was taken to Duplin General Hospital. In the emergency room, medical personnel believed the woman appeared to be under the influence.
School officials subjected the woman to a breath alcohol test and also conducted a urine screening. School officials say the tests showed the bus driver was under the influence of alcohol. The officials contacted the North Carolina Highway Patrol about the alleged incident.
Troopers arrived at the hospital and reportedly conducted their own testing related to the allegations. The woman now faces charges of driving while impaired and driving a school bus after consuming alcohol.
Any Greenville DWI defense attorney knows that allegations of DWI can have collateral consequences outside the judicial system. However, a conviction for DWI creates a permanent criminal record, highlighting the importance of an aggressive DWI defense.
Source: WCTI 12, “School System: Bus Driver Was Under The Influence Of Alcohol,” John Swartz 3 Jun 2011
Allegations of DWI can often have far reaching collateral consequences. Any Greenville DWI defense attorney knows that a DWI conviction can haunt many people in future job searches. Many businesses and professions conduct background searches for prior criminal charges including DWI.
In some cases allegations alone can cause people hardship in the workplace. Saturday, the principal of a Martin County school turned in his resignation from his position. The resignation followed a Washington County arrest for DWI on April 8. The principle was allegedly driving while impaired on North Carolina 45 in Washington County.
Law enforcement set up a driver’s license checkpoint near the Bertie County line on N.C. 45 April 8. Police claim the 54-year-old veteran educator was stopped during the April 8 operation. The former high school principle reportedly was administered a breathalyzer test after being stopped at the checkpoint. Police arrested the educator at roughly 6:24 p.m. Law enforcement claims the breathalyzer results exceeded a reading of .08 alcohol content; the legal limit is .08 in North Carolina for the purposes of DWI law.
The former educator reportedly also faces charges of possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage and driving without a license. The 54-year-old is scheduled to appear in court to face the charges on June 28.
In addition to the criminal charges, the 54-year-old is subject to license revocation. License suspensions and revocations can make travel very difficult for people in North Carolina. Once suspended, many people face additional suspensions after being pulled over in subsequent investigations. An experienced driver’s license reinstatement attorney can assess what options may be available for drivers who have lost their driving privilege.
Source: The Daily Reflector, “Principal arrested for DWI resigns,” Brenda Monty 15 Apr 2011