October 2009

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Please discuss with your children about what happens on Main Street on Fridays after school.

I am aware of several dangerous situations where Weber students have been seen skateboarding and biking without the required helmets or protective gear, and also weaving in and out of traffic. They are not paying attention to traffic lights, pedestrians or cars. Their safety is our top priority. Please enforce the use of safety equipment at home as I do almost every day here at school.

Students should not have large amounts of money nor any large bills with them in school all day to use on Main Street after school. No middle schooler needs more than $10 to buy pizza and/or snacks. Students are frequently targeted if they are “flashing” lots of cash.

Please set a reasonable time to have this unsupervised experience. Students should not be roaming from 3:15 p.m. into the evening without supervision. Requiring students to come home by 5:00 p.m. allows enough time to order, be served, eat and go home. Students without time constraints are sometimes prone to negative peer pressure and mischief.

Please speak to your children about what to do if they find themselves in an uncomfortable situation. They need your guidance and a viable plan to be helped if they are feeling unsafe or unable to handle the social scene they find themselves in on Main Street or any side street.

I know it may be hard to believe, but merchants and parents have shared with me that often students become unruly, boisterous, and disturbing of paying customers. Foul language is often used so loudly that it becomes offensive to any resident who might be in town.

Why not take some time on any Friday and see for yourself what can and is happening on Main Street from 3:20 p.m. on into the evening.

We need your help in making this situation improve. You know when Weber Middle School and parents and the community partner together, we can make positive differences which benefit us all. When students are respectful, responsible and behave appropriately, they are seen as valuable members of our community and welcomed on Main Street and anywhere else.