The scene changes Tuesday morning.

Families hurry up. Students shove last-minute additions into their backpacks and rush out the door, getting a ride to school or waiting at the end of a lane for the bus.

Schools, sleepy and quiet during the summer, reawaken to the excitement and apprehension of another year. Students, teachers and administrators alike feel the sea change in mood.

A new season of learning has started.

Old as generations, fresh as a new book, the back-to-school ritual imposes significant change elsewhere in the community as well. Civic groups and other organizations that slowed down for the summer, shake off their rust and get back in gear. The busy-ness of everyday life resumes.

Most noticeable to those not involved with the schools is the resumption of school bus traffic. This ritual carries its own set of dangers and challenges. The chief danger which all of us must remember is to slow down for the buses on the road and to stop when they flash their warning ligh...