HOW WE SEE IT: Protecting Students Must Remain Focus

When a tragedy happens, it’s only logical to look for an explanation.

There’s a natural tendency when something goes wrong to believe there must be a fix.

Legitimate questions arise, and people in positions of responsibility can react in a couple of ways. They can see the tragedy as an opportunity to find solutions nobody was previously looking for, or they can worry about who’s going to get blamed.

Perhaps in this litigious society of ours, the latter response is easily understood. But the person with longer-term vision embraces the chance to make a difference.

In Bentonville, the community is reeling from the shocking news that a second student was seriously injured as he was struck by a car. Two weeks ago, it was a teenage girl struck by school bus. These are heartbreaking events. Our prayers are with the students and their families.

The facts surrounding the most recent incident are still coming together. In the case of the bus involved accident, the measurable facts reported by police and witness statements contradict each other, mostly about whether the student had a “walk” signal for the intersection.

We may never know exactly what happened in those milliseconds, but we know this: Forget about blame and focus on improvements that might protect the next student and the next driver. Don’t say the highway is the responsibility of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and leave it at that.

This is one of those occasions when passing the buck doesn’t get it done. The various agencies need to break down barriers and communicate in a comprehensive fashion to improve intersections and school crossings.

Is 15 seconds, from “walk” to “don’t walk,” on a five-lane highway adequate? Why had nobody inspected and repaired the button to trigger the crosswalk signal? What policies about bus drivers might help them remain focused strictly on driving those large yellow behemoths?

Do any of those questions suggest blame?

They shouldn’t. They should be interpreted as evaluations that might save someone from injury, or worse, in the future. And bureaucratic turfdom or insulation from liability shouldn’t become a barrier to a better response for protecting the kids.

All actions should be focused on the priority of protecting pedestrians, namely students.

What amount of time spent on an interagency evaluation would anyone consider wasted?

These accidents should highlight the question of whether Bentonville, the state and the schools can do better in the name of protecting kids.

We think they can.

CASUALTIES OF WAR

To honor the men and women in our armed forces and remind our readers of their sacrifices, the Benton County Daily Record is publishing Department of Defense announcements identifying Americans killed in active military operations.

U.S. Navy Gunners Mate 2nd Class Dion R. Roberts, 25, of North Chicago, Ill., died Sept. 22 as a result of a single-vehicle accident in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He was assigned to an East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit.