Sorry Rowan, it wasn't you that used those words. I do see that some might misread that.

I don't think I stretched anything I said to justify my angst, nor implied anything about the Constitution of the United States. I was simply irked by the interaction. You are the one that is attaching a story to that. Did I imply that me being on a bicycle had something to do with the questioning? Yes, I actually stated that I questioned him about me being on a bicycle. Did I know the other parents that were waiting in their (idling) cars? No. I also didn't report them as being suspicious.

BTW - this is a high school. Good luck trying to accost one of the students in broad daylight (my kids would probably beat the @#$ out of someone), right in the front and main entrance of the school, that is watched by the Sheriff's Deputy, as well as closed circuit TV. Had the SD been real sharp he'd have noticed my child come out earlier, great me as if the child knew me and was quite comfortable, and then head back in the school (needed $20 to give to a teacher for some program). He could have also waited and saw that my child got on the back of the BD under their own power. No forcing, no struggle, just normal - like hopping into one of the waiting cars.

Pedestrians and cyclists are an anomaly in Florida. There are some places where they are common, especially around some college campuses like the University of Florida, or the bigger cities like St. Petersburg. Yes, I was pointing out that fact and sometimes lament that we don't have more kids, parents, others on foot or riding bicycles. It would be cool if there were 5 or 6 other parents waiting for their kids on foot, or with a bicycle. We have a perfect environment most of the year (hot and sweaty in the summer though), but many do not avail themselves to it. It is slowly changing though, as I have seen more people on bikes especially. However, as long as we classify pedestrians and cyclists the way we do around here it will be looked upon as an oddity. I've been told by more than one person that if you are seen waiting for the bus people will think you have a DUI. If you are walking you are poor, depending on where you walk. And if you ride a bike it could be those two, or that you are just plain weird. Ergo my post where I was singled out because I was an oddity.

As far as involvement in the school and getting them to know us (the fam), we are very active in the school. Having three kids there almost requires it, especially because all three are in 1-3 sports after school throughout the year. We are known well (they get various awards too, and I work closely with a couple of the elected School Board members and they know my kids well due to their acheivements), but again I am acting lawfully picking up my kid, just as the other parents are. I don't like being questioned. I called it hassled, which might have made it sound more dramatic than it was, but just replace that with questioned if it makes the situation better understood.

I suspect it was your reply/attitude, that got the cop to keep on questioning you. Just because you don't think the cop has/had the right to single you out... Don't mean sheite... JMO

Actually he only asked the one question. I think my reply probably got him to stop asking, and also got him to make up the story to cover saying I needed to sign in. However, I'll never know. Just supposition, or adding a story to what happened.

The car lines here at many schools are 1/2 mile long... Did you pull in front of the line to pick up the kids?

The length of the lines seems to be a more interesting topic for this forum. A lot more parents are driving their kids to school these days. I'm not sure of all the reasons, but I can think of three that might apply:

1. Traffic is worse than it used to be, so people don't feel it's safe for kids to walk or ride bikes.
2. A lot of neighborhood schools have closed, and schools are often placed further out of the town. Distances are too great for walking or cycling in many cases.
3. Parents have the perception, right or wrong, that kids today are more likely to be snatched up by a stranger.

I've read in this forum that some schools in the States don't allow kids to cycle to school.

Ekdog I have read there are a few schools that prohibit walking or bicycling to school, but that is not the case anywhere that I am aware of around here, In fact we have a program called "Safe Kids to School" whereby there needs to be a safe route to the school from a certain distance from the school. You must be two miles from the school to take the bus, but I think the distance for the safe route is much less than that. We also have a program that allows kids to access more than their local school, and therefore causes them to be on a bus for a long time. It does backfire sometimes, when a kid moves to an area late and the seats in the school closest to him/her are filled. They then must travel a long way.

Traffic when schools are in session is significant. It is the single most determinant of congestion that I observe from day to day. Of course, our seasonal traffic can get pretty heavy. However, I can tell when the schools are closed by how easy it is to get around. The traffic circles, and often times the adding major roads are essentially parking lots filled with idling cars.

10 wheels the time that I pick up the one kid is an hour before normal school lets out, so there are only 5-10 cars waiting for kids (the one doesn't have the last period), and no buses. The next hour is the craziness that you refer to. If I were to go at that time I have the other kid meet me just off school grounds, on the sidewalk, as trying to compete with all those cars is quite dangerous. We are home by the time some of them even leave the pickup area. So fast by bike.

Roody cited three things, or reasons as to why so many might drive. I agree with those, but I also say there are so many more reasons. I know that kids of this age are very concerned about their image, all egged on by BILLIONS in adverting that makes them believe that they are less than they are if they don't have a cool car, phone, jeans, etc. - anything that can be purchased. Walking to school can be a mentally horrible experience for some. As far as riding a bike, I don't remember seeing any at the school, at least the high school. The middle school has a fenced in area for storage and it is generally full. The elementary has many bikes and many walkers, but maybe not as many as the middle school.

I think it depends on the location of the high school. When I was in high school a lot of students including myself would bike to school everyday. We had a bike storage area, a large cage with racks for hundreds of bikes and it was always full. But that was about 35 years ago and I lived in a different country back then.

I had that experience too, even longer ago, and in Canada. Right now I live across from a middle school, and some of the kids (and a couple of teachers) do cycle there, but there is no rack - they just lock to the fence - so clearly the school somehow does not wish to encourage cycling. Half a block away is a high school, and I haven't noticed a bike rack or many bikes there. However, if I catch the bus at the school in the morning, I notice a lot of students getting off it. It's a public school that has a language specialty program, so it attracts kids from other areas that want to continue French Immersion or study German, etc. The middle school has a traffic jam outside it every morning and afternoon (very annoying for us residents) but I don't think the high school does.

When I was in HS decades ago, the opposite would have been true. We'd have been embarrassed if a parent picked us up every day. As if we weren't capable of making our way home or wherever we were going on our own.

Is there any reason why your kids don't ride their own bikes to from school without your assistance?

Thanks for clearing that up...

+1. I was not brand-conscious either. What we wore got little attention.

I agree these are alos reasons, and there are probably more. My own grandson is a senior in high school. He walked quite a few times, especially after he made some friends who walk along the same route. He rode his bike a couple times only, and said he was the only one in the school who rode. Most of the time one of his parents drove him to and from school, as was the case with most of his classmates. My DIL and son said they felt bad making him walk when a car is available. It's about a 20 minute walk,at most, and too close to qualify for the bus.

A 20 minute walk is an intimidating chore to wish on the boy? It's that attitude that creates an unhealthy environment from the start. In addition to physical exercise and its benefits, the walk would give the lad some time to reflect on life in some solitude and perhaps make more of the day. Learn an appreciation for nature. Get out there on your own two feet and do something on your own with the human power that's built into us all. Build confidence in the ability to function autonomously.

The psychology of the alternative lifestyle riding every day in mommy and daddy's car is totally different and leads to a soft spoiled life struggling for all your entitlements as you become one with the couch.

I agree, more or less. I would have had my child walking as soon as able, and I would have encouraged bicycling also. I certainly walked with this boy and rode with him, bought him a few bikes over the years, and taught him how to use the bus. When he visited me as a youngster, our days and evenings were packed with carfree activities, and he loved them. Now he even describes himself as lazy, although I think he's fairly industrious when it comes to chores around the house. School work, not so much!

It's his job, just produce your ID and let him contact the office. Be thankful that somebody is paying attention.