On The Spot Blog

Happy 232nd Birthday America!  As I write this, I am recently back from the "Freedom over Texas" display in Downtown Houston.  While I've never attended the actual events at Eleanor Tinsley Park, I can take in the fireworks from a nearby venue that's within walking distance of my apartment.

This was the first time in 5 years I decided to try my hand at photographing fireworks, to see if it could be easily done with the digital camera I upgraded to earlier this year.  I have found that it was not as easy as my previous camera was, partially due to the city lights creating a back light and making the long exposures I have done in the past difficult.  As this sample taken in 2003 at Shawnee Mission Park in Lenexa, Kansas shows:

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I happened to catch one of the maintenance staff members over the weekend, and was talking to him about the redevelopment.

According to him, it looks like the wrecking ball will hit the three buildings I identified previously around the first of May.

Don’t worry though, there’s plenty of other "prep" work going on in other parts of the complex.  I’ll have an update on that soon.

Editor’s Note: This is the final of three parts outlining the beginning of the redevelopment of the Archstone Memorial Heights Apartment Complex, the first two parts can be found here and here.

It all started simple enough, a rent increase.  After living in the complex 2 1/2 years (and reportedly longer for others) Archstone increased rents across the board in December, 2006. Not a typical rent increase, rents shot up 25%.

With the onslaught that followed, many tenants moved on as their leases expired, leaving huge vacancys.  Archstone was able to fill most of those units in the months after.  I renegotiated, and got a more reasonable increase, staying for "one more year".

In December 2007, I was greeted with another across the board 20% increase.  Again tenants moved out in droves.  I had hoped to be ready to move on, but other constraints made me stay for yet another year.  I again renegotiated the lease, reducing the increase slightly.

The complex is not the best I’ve seen, but it’s not the worst.  With single pane windows and poor insulation, noise is always a problem (Particularly if you’re on the "street" side of the complex).  The units, by comparison with other complexes in the area, are what you could consider "basic", and small by comparison as well.

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Editor's Note: This is the second of three parts outlining the beginning of the redevelopment of the Archstone Memorial Heights Apartment Complex, the first part is posted here, and the final part will be posted in the near future.

At the May 30, 2007 city council meeting, a request to abandon three fire hydrant easements was on the city council agenda:

RECOMMENDATION from Director Department of Public Works & Engineering,
reviewed and approved by the Joint Referral Committee, on request from
Ronnie D. Harris of Brown & Gay Engineers, Inc., on behalf of ASN Multifamily
Limited Partnership [SCA-North Carolina (1) LLC, a Delaware limited partnership
{Archstone-Smith Operating Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust,
(Peter Grimm, Vice President), sole member}, General Partner], for
abandonment and sale of three fire hydrant easements and a 10-foot-wide
water line easement in exchange for the conveyance to the City of a fire
hydrant easement, all located within Memorial Heights, Section One Replat,
out of the John Austin Survey, A-1, Parcels SY7-082A through D and
KY7-248 - APPRAISERS - DISTRICT H - GARCIA

A look at the agenda backup quickly shows the areas of the property in question.  This motion was quickly rubber stamped through the council.

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Editor's Note:  This is the first of three parts outlining the beginning of the redevelopment of the Archstone Memorial Heights Apartment Complex, the remaining two parts will be posted in the coming days, time permitting.

As reported recently on Off the Kuff and SwampLot Archstone Memorial Heights is on the verge of a complete redevelopment of it's complex at Heights and Washington Boulevards.  I have personal insight into the situation, as I have lived in the complex for the last four years.

One of the first signs of emminent changes coming was when the trash compactor failed in July 2007, and it wasn't repaired for weeks leaving piles of trash spilling out into common areas, leaving a stench for residents to smell anywhere in the area.

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Ok, so it's time for me to try this again.  We'll get this down pat sometime…

I've got a couple of topics on the radar, more to come soon.

Isiah Carey at FOX 26 tonight gives us the Insite on a report that the Houston Police Department is wanting to invest in handheld metal detectors and bulletproof partitions for patrol cars.

In my line of work (Information Technology), I frequently get requests from someone who wants technology to do a 'big-brother' type control over an employees actions.  The technology I work with does not have that kind of function for good reasons.  My response is, and always will be that the technology will not fix the problem, but it may help Human Resources in documenting the problem (and at that point, let Human Resources deal with it).

HPD seems to be in that mode, but Mayor White and Chief Hurtt seem to not have the word "NO" in their vocabulary.  We've seen money pumped out for red light cameras, tazers, cameras on tazers, and now the metal detectors and bulletproof partitions.

First, how much more room does an officer have on his belt?  All these gadgets can not be good for the officer to have to carry, along with his nightstick (they do still carry them don't they?) gun, bullets, handcuffs, etc.

Second, where is the money going to come from to fund these programs?  My bet, like always will be to slow the backfill of the already understaffed department.

That leads back to my point earlier.  The problem with HPD today is it is hundreds of officers short of what it needs.  Throwing more technology at the problem is not going to fix it - only hiring more officers will.

I challenge anyone from city council to respond to the question of where the funding is going to come from for this, and I ask them why a mandate to rebuild HPD's staffing levels has not been brought before the council.

Alexis Grant over at the Chronicle's new City Hall Blog (A nice blog by the way) reported last week that The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a new report last week on the improvement of intersection safety with the installation of red light cameras.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is an organization that researches and lobbies for changes to laws at the federal, state and local levels.  It's funding is entirely from the insurance companies that we pay every month to provide coverage on our vehicles.

Over the weekend, I had a chance to read the report that Alexis was reporting about.  The IIHS report points out many flaws in their methodology, proving that their research is, for the most part, invalid.

The report focuses on two intersections in Philadelphia which were scheduled to get red light cameras, and three in Atlantic County, New Jersey that police say warranted cameras, but were not allowed by state law.

For one, the sampling period.  The interval of time after yellow lights were lengthened was only 6 weeks before the sampling was taken.  A few weeks later the red light cameras were turned on, and after 4 months grace period (warnings) and 12 months of enforcement, the final sampling was taken.  3 samples were tainted by malfunctioning equipment but they claim that didn't skew the results.

In fact, they even attest to longer yellow lights improving red light running over 12 months.  Could some of the improvement actually have been the longer yellows and not the cameras?

Another flaw is where the samples were taken.  The six experimental sites (the ones that had their timing changed and red light cameras) averaged 31,000 cars a day, whereas the three control sites (no changes made during the study) averaged 14,000 cars.  The report also says that the control sites were taken 50 miles away in New Jersey; meaning that a separate state, county and local jurisdiction could have tainted the results as well.

The conclusion of the report discusses 90% or more reduction in red light running.  It does not track the increase in rear-end collisions, as drivers slam on their brakes to avoid getting a ticket.

So, lets take some facts that the makers of the cameras, nor the city council, fail to tell you.

Innocent until proven guilty - A basic right in our country.  It's a part of our legal system.  With red light cameras, you're guilty until proven innocent, or otherwise incriminate someone else.

Face your accuser - another of our basic rights.  It's kind of hard to face a camera in court, let alone question it.

Cameras will not stop dangerous drivers - A drunk driver won't pull over for a camera flash, nor will it stop the guy that's driving 100 MPH.  That's what real police have to do.

It's all about safety - If that's the case, then why did Affiliated Computer Services of Dallas spend over $305,000 in lobbying as well as the campaigns of several elected officials in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania?  What the stories don't answer is how much did the IIHS spend on lobbying and campaigns? (Story credits: Don Russell, Philadelphia Daily News, 2003)

It will reduce accidents - The same intersections in the IIHS report actually saw an increase in the rear-end collisions in the first several months the cameras were active. (Story credit: Gwen Shaffer, Philadelphia Weekly, 2005)

It's no longer about protecting the public, if it was, there wouldn't be a need for these cameras.

(Editorial note - story references courtesy the National Motorists Association. This does not constitute an endorsement of all of their positions on traffic safety laws, only in the matters of camera enforcement.)

As we come to mid-month, more news from Austin on all of the action to stop or slow the spread of the disease known as red light cameras.

Two more bills have been filed, House Bill 1570, and Senate Bill 195.  House Bill 1570 is identical to the previously discussed Senate Bill 125, requiring that the revenue be directed towards a designated Trauma Facility.  If both pass their respective chambers, it would hold promise for the bill to make it to Governor Perry’s desk.

Senate Bill 195 takes a radically different approach from the other bills proposed and looks back to the 78th legislative session.  It repeals a section of the state transportation code that was enacted in 2003.  The earlier changes eliminated the requirement that red light runners be served the criminal citation in person by the citing officer, allowing for the offense to be ticketed with a civil citation - bypassing the requirement of being served by the officer.  The new bill repeals that change, making all red light cameras illegal in the state.

So, by my scorecard, here’s the bills that are in the legislature as we speak:

• 3 bills prohibiting cameras on state highways
• 2 bills requiring revenue to go to trauma facilities
• 1 bill requiring minimum light change intervals at camera enforced intersections
• 1 bill setting standard signage requirements
• 1 bill repealing the previous legislatures authorizing change

Now, for some good news.  The Senate Transportation and Homeland Security committee is planning a hearing February 21 in Austin, and both Senate Bill 125 and Senate Bill 195 are on the agenda.  No hearings have been scheduled with the House Urban Affairs committee for the six on their agenda.

I will continue to support all of these bills, and strongly support Senate Bill 195, since it clearly removes the right to use cameras - while the others just restrict their usage.

As soon as I can get a transcript of the upcoming hearing, I will post a commentary.  For those of you reading this after my post in the Chronicle’s City Hall blog, I hope to have some more insight into the flawed Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s report on cameras posted here later this weekend. 

This week, a man was arrested on the charge of interfering with police communications here in Houston.

As someone who spent seven years around the newspaper business, I spent time in the newsrooms of a couple of newspapers in Kansas.  The one thing that was always present in those newsrooms was a police scanner, usually calling out officers, paramedics and fire fighters to handle citizens in need.

I was hooked, and personally enjoy listening to the scanner more than other forms of entertainment.  It is, in fact, the ultimate reality show.  Granted, these days much of the routine stuff is now handled electronically via computers in the vehicles, there is still much to be heard.  In fact, as I write this I am listening to several Houston Police channels, as well as Houston Fire.

Houston has previously reported that the system that is being used is old.  This in itself makes it prone to interference.  Houston needs to upgrade the system, but not without much forethought and planning.  Other cities were quick to convert, and end up with difficulties and incompatibilities.  Others end up with huge gaps in the system, putting the people who swore to protect and to serve in jeopardy themselves.

The improper use of radio equipment by the foul-mouthed practical joker is not just a local offense, but will likely have him facing federal charges as well.  The Federal Communications Commission does not take interference lightly.

Let’s just hope that this event does not force them down the road of a system that can’t be monitored by those who wish to monitor it - much like what San Antonio has done. 

Being able to talk amongst user groups is a must in this post 9/11 world, and the city needs to stick to a system that ultimately will talk to other agencies in the area, including Metro, Harris County, Galveston County and Fort Bend County.

Only time will tell if Houston will be able to address the citywide communications issue. 

When I envisioned this blog ten months ago, I thought it would be a good sounding board for me to vent issues and ideas.  Then I got sidetracked by other things in my life and everything stopped in my corner of the Blogosphere.

I decided recently it was time to return, and over the last couple of weeks I have held my own, although time still doesn’t permit me to write a nightly post.

Depending on the availability of source material to discuss, I will try and post here as often as I can.  I know that several of my posts lately have been on issues being discussed in the Texas state legislature, and I assure you that is not going to be the only thing I post about.  The current legislative session has just provided a rich source of source material for me to rant about.

First and foremost, blogging will probably stop when I travel, or I have other events that require my attention.  My real life away from the computers has to come first.  Not to fear, I was gone out of the country for a couple of weeks in January, and my current schedule is looking like the end of March for the next trip (although in my line of work at my real job, that can change at a moment’s notice).

So, onward and upward…  Keep reading, keep commenting, and I’ll keep posting.

More news coming out of the Austin. 

Legislator Coleman introduced House Bill 1304, which institutes a moratorium on Taser purchases and use during calendar year 2008.

With the current number of Taser related incidents that have happened around the state, it might sound like a good idea.  In fact, it, like the Houston Police Department’s chase policy will limit the options that are available to those who have sworn to protect and serve the public. 

I agree that possibly the state should propose a standardized training requirement, along with specific “recertification” intervals.  Right now, each department has their own set of requirements, and I think those inconsistencies are part of the problem.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the requirement to be shocked by the device is optional in some departments training, while others, including Houston Police Department, doesn’t even include that option.  To me, the standardized training should include exactly that, a requirement to receive a shock from the device that they are going to use.  This is just like an officer at the academy being able to participate in hand to hand combat to understand taking control of a situation, to safely handling the police car in special cases such as pursuits.

So, Austin, tell the cops how they have to be trained to use it, but don’t stop them from using a taser. Otherwise the officer might have to resort to a stronger, more deadly force to stop a suspect.

And that’s not good for anyone.

Phoenix suburb Scottsdale, Arizona recently conducted a 9 month test of a "Photo Radar" system on loop 101 (Phoenix's version of 610).  The city has now passed a resolution to turn the cameras back on full time, considering the system a success.

In the ZDNet and Arizona Republic stories, it says that the cameras activate when speed is 11 miles per hour over the speed limit. The Arizona Daily Star reports that the fight may not yet be over, not without a statewide ballot issue on the November 2008 ballot.

As most Houstonian's know, Police Chief Harold Hurtt still maintains a home in Phoenix, and travels there most weekends.  We know that Phoenix uses red light enforcement, much like what is now being deployed throughout Houston.

Could photo speed enforcement be the next cash cow the city of Houston tries to cash in on?  I suspect it will come up for discussion.

Would it make Houstonians slow down from the blazing fast speeds that we travel on area roads?

Or, will the state legislature put the brakes on another of the city's misdirected ideas before it takes off?

Only time will tell.

Funny question to ask.

It’s when people like a religious group from Topeka, Kansas (I know who they are, and I’m not going to add to their fodder with their name being searchable on Google to this site) can protest military funerals as a way of speaking out against abortion.

I’m sorry, but the (Name Removed) family and their band of followers should disappear; take their protests elsewhere - somewhere other than a church, funeral home or cemetery.  Ideally it should never be visible or heard from a location where funeral services and graveside services are held.  It also should not be seen anywhere along the route a grieving family will travel in a funeral procession.

Fortunately, the state legislature may be working on just a solution.  I applaud legislator Geren for doubling the minimum set-backs for these kinds of protests.

UPDATE Feb. 8: State Senator Harris just introduced a duplicate bill in the senate.

My RSS feed blinked across yet another bill being floated around Austin:

House Bill 1052: Relating to requiring warning signs before intersections at which a municipality uses a photographic traffic monitoring system to enforce compliance with a traffic-control signal

Add this bill to the six others that I mentioned in an earlier post. 

This one in particular requires that cities use a TXDOT approved sign and requirements for size and display of the sign at all intersections with camera enforcement.

I will continue to support all of these bills, and will continue to monitor the developments here. As many know, the state legislature can be ineffective at times, with all of their procedural and time wasting processes.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that one or more of these bills make it to Governor Perry’s desk.

I was reading the story about Pearland Police Officers receiving their Taser training when a important note about Houston’s Taser Training came to light:

Being shocked is not required in every department.

Houston Police Department officers do not get shocked during Taser training, but deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department have the option during their training. Deputies are not required to participate, Lt. John Martin said.

Yes, you read that right.  Houston does not actually have each officer stand on the receiving end of their Taser when being trained.

If you search any of the online video sites for “Taser” (Not linked since most have language not suitable for minors) you will find many videos of officers taking one.

While I, personally have no desire to be a living target for one of these, I certainly understand why many agencies would expect their officers to understand the power and capabilities of the device.  It makes the officer think when acting, since they know exactly what the person that’s at the other end of those barbs is feeling.  It also makes them think to release the trigger before more harm is done.

That, in itself is exactly why it should be done.  The fatalities and lawsuits that are appearing more and more frequently here in Houston says that the already overworked officers are quick to deploy, and quick to use the taser, but don’t know when to stop.

I believe it’s time that HPD require mandatory refresher training, and every officer is certified only after taking the juice.

UPDATE:
KHOU is reporting that the city controller is now reviewing the HPD Taser policy. Watch this space for further updates.

I subscribe to an RSS feed from the Texas Legislature that gives a one-line title to each bill introduced in the current Legislative session.  Tonight, as I was scrolling through the day’s activity, a couple of titles caught my eye:

Senate Bill 369: Relating to an offense involving a motor vehicle with an altered or obscured license plate.

and

House Bill 985: Relating to the power of a local authority to enforce compliance with speed limits or a traffic-control signal on a highway under its jurisdiction by an automated traffic-control system.

The first bill is important, as it clarifies the earlier passed laws regarding obscuring license plates, and takes out the clause that has been abused about frames on license plates. 

It also clearly legalizes the use of license-plate mounted transponders, like the ones being used by the Harris County Toll Road Authority when the metallic coating of some windshields interferes with traditional EZ-Tags.

The second bill instructs the Attorney General to deny implementation of photographic enforcement devices on highways within the state, including traffic light and speed enforcement.

This raised my curiosity, so I decided to dig deeper.  I did a search on the Legislature’s web site for the word “photographic” in Bills introduced so far in this session and came up with a total of eight results.  Here are the others of relevance:

• House Bill 55: Relating to the power of a local authority to enforce compliance with a traffic-control signal on a highway under its jurisdiction by a photographic traffic signal enforcement system.
• Senate Bill 125: Relating to the deposit of revenue collected from certain traffic penalties in the designated trauma facility and emergency medical services account.
• House Bill 614: Relating to requiring a standard change interval for a yellow signal at intersections at which a municipality uses a photographic traffic monitoring system to enforce compliance with a traffic-control signal.
• House Bill 922: Relating to the power of a municipality to enforce compliance with speed limits by an automated traffic control system.

The above bills show some of the creativeness of the representives that we have sent to Austin.

House Bills 55 and 922 are the same as House Bill 985, but they only cover traffic signal enforcement, while 985 added speed enforcement devices as well.

Senate Bill 125 seems the most interesting one.  It says “fine, you can have them” but says that 50% of all revenue generated has to go to a designated trauma facility or other emergency health care center.

House Bill 614 also doesn’t ban them, but says that cities must maintain a minimum yellow light time as defined in the statewide standards.  This is good, since it says they can’t shorten yellow lights to increase revenue.  I have always advocated longer yellow light times at high-risk intersections, and several studies concur that the longer yellow light is a better accident deterent than red-light running tickets.

I support all of these bills, although a combination of Senate Bill 125, House Bill 614 and House Bill 985 would be the best solution.  Tell the cities, “You can’t use them on the highways, but everywhere else is fine, and while you’re at it, those have to have minimum yellow light times and the trauma centers get half your revenue.”

I suspect a combination of that would deter many municipalities from beginning a program, and might even have some of the cities that have already taken the steps to install them to turn them off.

In the business I’m in, I frequently see questions about how to enforce human behavior by using a piece of technology.  My response has always been, technology will not fix the problem of human nature, but humans work best at changing human behavior.

Cities like Houston need to invest in real officers on the streets, not in technology that accuses drivers of something without rock solid proof.  The cameras they invested in only take pictures of the rear of the car, and then put the burden of proof on the owner to incriminate another driver or pay up.  The system is flawed, and I hope that the state legislators will at least pass one of the above bills to start the way towards fixing the system.  

Okay, okay, so I’ve neglected the site for way too long.  I’m going to start writing here again and hopefully with a little more frequency than before.

Now, on with the random rants…

Editor’s note - this is the first of a multi-part series on the current energy crisis.  In coming weeks, I will take a look at the longer terms and what should be done.

The American Economy is in crisis. Gasoline prices have increased by $0.42 nationally in the past month (March 23, 2006 - April 23, 2006). Likewise, it has risen $0.68 cents nationally in the past year.  Houston has been even harder hit over the last year, with the price jumping a whopping $0.83!

The first thing I will admit that it is not Government’s place to regulate the industry, but there are things that the legislative bodies in Washington can do to help ease the pain at the pump.

These things should be looked at and handled non-partisan, and non-special interest groups (hear me out environmentalists, this includes you).

• Congress should pass a law requiring that all patent owners use the patents they own, and if the owner does not use them, they will be released into the public domain after 10 years - (5 years for high technology).

There have long been stories of the oil companies paying large sums of hush money to the American entrepreneurs that produce devices that can consume considerably less fuel.  This law would require the patent office to review all patents held by the oil companies, and turn them over to automobile manufacturers and others who can use those technologies.  It would also have a side effect of quashing the patent trolls that are rampant in the high tech industries (Eolas - this means you and destroying the User Experience).

• Congress should suspend the gasoline tax for 18 months, or until prices are nationally below $2.50 a gallon, whichever comes first.

It’s only $0.184 per gallon of gas, but it can make a difference.  State and local taxes make up a majority of the rest of the $0.62 per gallon average.

• The Federal Reserve should immediately drop short-term interest rates to 0%.  Congress should encourage all lending institutions to pass that reduction to consumers.

If I have to spend more on gasoline, I’m going to spend less elsewhere.  By dropping the Federal interest rate to banks, and the banks passing it on to consumers, a consumer can afford to make purchases on credit cards, or continue to pay off the debts they have.  Without this change, I suspect that people seeking the mandatory credit counseling and then filing bankruptcy will skyrocket, as they cannot afford to pay bills with the higher fuel prices.

• Congress should pass a “windfall” tax, that affects companies when they rake in huge profits.

This kind of tax would make up for the drop of the gasoline tax for 18 months, by making these companies that rake in billions in profit every year to pay for their successes (and not reinvesting the profit in improving and expanding the infrastructure that they own).

• Congress should extend “Fuel Credits” to transportation industries.

A fuel credit is a tax break for companies, like airlines, railroads, trucking companies and others that use large quantities of fuel.  One airline has been quoted that it costs the company $42 Million more for every $1 per barrel increase in the price of crude oil. 

Next time, we’ll look at a 2 to 5 year (Near Term) plan.

Ok, so there’s a rapper out there that has the same name as me.  He seasons his rhymes with his name.

I used to be joked at when talking about football in High School, since there was a NFL player with the name Mike Jones as well.

I laughed with co-workers who see my identification badge,  I let the jokes roll other places (although not my primary ringer, I have the “Who’s Mike Jones” ringtone in my cell phone).

I spoke to another co-worker, who shares the same name as “Fresh Prince” Will Smith.  He said in the hey-day of the performer, he was joked at as well.

A former manager of mine was named Tim Taylor, and during the run of the Tim Allen hit series “Home Improvement” he was frequently referred to as the “Toolman” - I even would occasionally throw a “I don’t think so, Tim.” to have fun with it.

But, it comes to a point of disrespect after a certain point in time.  A co-worker, routinely tries to impersonate the rapper, calling out my name for no reason but to annoy me.

Being that Mike Jones, the rapper, and myself both live in Houston, it has compounded the problem.  By my count, there are 123 telephone listings for Michael or Mike Jones in the Houston area. 

Despite the fact that he mentions his phone number (and according to the stories I heard, it is legitimately his phone number) in a rhyme, I have had phone calls from several teenagers from all over the country, at all hours of the day and night, wanting to talk to the performer.  I’ve shunned most away, but still, getting the phone calls at 2am and 3am that pushes it over the line.

My question is, why is it that those of us virtual unknowns must suffer because one person with a common name rises to fame? 

In the pre-Internet days, if I wanted to look up a phone number in another town, I made the trip to the local library, and looked it up in the phone books of major cities they had there. 

I also was taught to respect privacy of those celebrities.  If I see a celebrity (even a local celebrity) I will say hello, but not create a scene.  I’m reminded of a story told by a sci-fi convention promoter, when he was at the airport picking up William Shatner.  Mr. Shatner had just arrived, and needed to take care of “business”.  He entered the nearest men’s room, and another patron came running out exclaiming that he just did his “business” next to Captain Kirk!  The resulting mob scene created a nightmare for the promoter and Mr. Shatner, since they were on a tight schedule. 

I had an opportunity to see a performance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee a few years ago, and Bill Anderson, an Opry regular, made an appearance that evening,  at one point inviting his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson out on stage.  He commented that if anyone gets a good picture, he would like a copy.  The following year, he performed at an event in my hometown, and I obliged by taking him two 8×10 prints that I took of it.  He offered to autograph one for me, but I declined, asking if I could get a picture with him, to which he obliged.

In these days of school curriculums being crowded with much more than the old reading, writing and arithmetic, certain social things like respect seem to be getting forgotten.  It’s time for schools to remember that social skills need to be taught as well, and respect should be at the top of the list.