Standing somber, Superintendent Mike Looney attended vigil after vigil in late 2016.
He stood on the muddy football field at Centennial High School, the steps of Page High School. Students in his district kept passing away behind the wheel of a vehicle. He was tired of it.
“Certainly being at those candlelight vigils and funeral homes made me feel compelled to do something,” he said. “I recognize that there are limits that the school district has of how we can influence teens driving, but it seems reasonable to use the resources we have and to do as much as possible.”
Last week was the first of many meetings Looney and his task force plan to have. The group’s 16 members include mostly schools and county officials.
In the last 13 months, the district lost more than a half dozen present and former students to accidents. Looney said that number doesn’t even begin to reflect the number of actual accidents teens find themselves in.
“They readily admit it’s because they are on their phones,” Looney said. “I am hopeful kids are starting to connect the dots, and their parents as well. When we give a 16-year-old a car key, we are giving them a dangerous piece of equipment that could not only end their lives but end lives of others.”
At the helm of the task force sits Angela Huff, a newer employee to the district. Huff said last week’s meeting was simply a starting point before fully moving forward. Ideally, the district will have a plan in place before the 2017-2018 school year.
Looney said he would like the task force to think big. For him, that could mean bringing simulators to the schools, rethinking driver education classes or reconfiguring student permitting requirements for parking on campus.
“I think my message is this,” he said. “I have taken on the task of being the Energizer bunny. I am going to keep the topic at the forefront, and hopefully, someone will listen. I can remind people that’s important. I have a bunch of crazy ideas. I don’t want to throw a bunch of things out there. It’s got to be reflective, creative and researched on what works.”
Huff said Looney will meet with his student advisory group as soon as this week to go over what the task force first presented.
Meetings will continue during the spring semester.
