Dear School Board Members,
Our principal, Mr. Terry, recently informed the student body that the school board will be voting whether or not to ban skateboards from school property due to safety concerns. Please do not do this. This is a position many students would agree with. I know several of my friends ride their skateboards to school because they do not own bikes. Walking would take them too much time. If you take away their ability to ride their skateboards to and from school, it will make getting to school much harder. They will have to wake up earlier for school, which will make them more tired and less able to concentrate in their classes. For example, take my friend Barry. His parents leave before the sun rises to go to work, which is way before the school opens. He relies on his skateboard to get him to and from school every day.
The school claims skateboarding is dangerous. However, it is actually a fairly safe activity according to a 2010 article in Medical Trauma Magazine. They found that skateboarders had 9 injuries per 1,000 skateboarders. The article also notes that there are 12 injuries per 1,000 bicyclers. Football has over double the amount of injuries as skateboarding. In comparison, skateboarding is much safer; yet, we have a football team at school and have many kids who ride bikes to school. Please do not ban skateboards in our school district.
Sincerely,
Marko DeSpeer, 7th grade
10
Which statement from Marko's letter supports the idea that many students rely on using skateboards?
A.
If you take away their ability to ride their skateboards to and from school, it will make getting to school much harder.
B.
However, it is actually a fairly safe activity according to a 2010 article in Medical Trauma Magazine.
C.
They will have to wake up earlier for school, which will make them more tired and less able to concentrate in their classes.
D.
In comparison, skateboarding is much safer; yet, we have a football team at school and have many kids who ride bikes to school.