Eckstein Bus Driver Attacked by Dogs

From the Times' Brian Rosenthal:


Two dogs attacked a school bus driver at Northeast Seattle’s Eckstein Middle on Friday morning, which led to a brief lock down at the school.

The bus driver, who was taking a walk around the school before heading to another school, suffered puncture wounds to his hands, according to a recorded message sent to all Eckstein families. All students and staff were told to remain in their classrooms out of concern the dogs would strike again.

Police detained the dogs, said Seattle Public Schools spokeswoman Lesley Rogers, who did not know what type of dogs they were.

The school has since been reopened.

I am so sorry this happened to this poor bus driver but thankful the police were able to round-up the dogs before they hurt anyone else.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I'm sorry for what the driver had to experience and hope he is OK now, but really, in light of all the violence currently happening around the Southend schools, wich have never been mentionned in this blog, this seems a little off balance...like complaining to your friend about a splinter when your friend has cancer..Splinter can be painful but come on...Get some prospective please! Either you talk about all the violence happening around the WHOLE district, or you just don't get down that road and focus on shcools, academics, segregation still happening in our schools..

Mama
Anonymous said…
You mean ... like bathrooms being set on fire TWICE at Washington Middle School this year? Nary a peep. Dogs are bad though. I don't think anybody posting actually attends a real southend school.

-reader
anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
anonymous said…
My son goes to Eckstein. He said there were 2 ambulances and 3 police cars on the scene, and the principal, who went outside to the playground with a baseball bat (yes, a baseball bat), locked down the school. I'm glad the principal played it "safe" and made sure that the children came inside (this happened before school started) but I do think this is all a bit dramatic. A bus driver was bitten by a dog, and he did sustain a puncture wound to his hand, but this was certainly no emergency. Then again I guess when the largest middle school in the state gets locked down, for any reason, it's big news.

SPSmother
I printed this because it came up on the news blotter at the Times AND because the school got locked down.

I know there is violence in the south end but I didn't hear about it being at any particular school. I didn't hear about the fires at Washington Middle School.

If you want to let me know about such incidents, great. But I have found that if I do say anything, I get dinged for "you always talk about the bad stuff in the southend."
Josh Hayes said…
Melissa sez:

But I have found that if I do say anything, I get dinged for "you always talk about the bad stuff in the southend."

Well, you know what they say, Mel: you're dinged if you do, dinged if you don't.
Anonymous said…
The problem is people talk about the violence in the southend and that's it. Just talk. It isn't this blog as much as the press, the Mayor and his posse, and council members. People are frustrated. 2012 has been a very violent year . Things may get reported briefly (if there is a human interest angle or provocative enough), but little follow up afterward. People aren't excited and you get the feeling the rest of Seattle is just happy it's not their neighborhood.

What you get in the press is the Mayor and people talking abut potholes, gay marriage, plastic bag ban and bike lanes. All important stuff. The work to revitalize the neighborhoods, to protect working, law abiding people so they can walk their streets safely, from bus stop and commuter rail without fear and being assaulted is pretty much left to small neighborhood groups who don't have powerful advocates to get things done (not just show up for photo ops&meetings , make speeches, and ribbon cutting). But in the meantime 15 year olds will get shot, killed, and assaulted. Talk is cheap, so apparently is life.

Different world
Anonymous said…
I had written a very long comment about the increasing violence in the southend and Safari crashed on me.

Concisely:

I have lived in South Seattle since moving to the PNW in 1993.

It is definitely getting worse. Most of the crime is by teens or young men. I assume some attend SPS or did when younger; some are probably dropouts or even graduates. There is a sense of lawlessness that conjures up Deadwood.

For reporting on our most recent string of crimes (both violent and not) see The Rainier Valley Post:
http://www.rainiervalleypost.com/

Our neighborhood now has a very active blockwatch. Various burglaries, attempts and suspicious characters (car prowlers) are noted almost daily...and I live in a decent part just a mile from Seward Park near Graham Hill School.

This is not a school issue per se, but a societal one. I'm not sure if there is anything schools can do do help keep kids on track. The area lost its community center while it is being renovated—that could be a factor. I think the biggest factor is probably the hopelessness many of these kids feel (as Charlie noted in a recent post there are barely jobs for kids who are graduating high school and college). Crime becomes ever more attractive.

SolvayGirl

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