Hey my precious boy. Its hard to believe you have already been gone one year. So much has happened and Im so glad you have allowed me to feel your pressence around me and your brothers and sister.

We visited your site today and released balloons at your tree. We added a new sign and cross today as well. I saw your hawk when we were getting back in the truck right before we loaded up Lisa and I saw your hawk fly over us and call out it was a comfort to us.

I took some photos and am leaving them on the site for others to see. We had some safety brochures as well with your information added to them and will be putting a box at the site on Saturday to leave them for everyone to take with them and each time we go we will leave more in the box so you can be a reminder to everyone to be safe and take extra precaution.

I miss you so very much and love you. Sweet never ending dreams my precious boy keep watching over us we feel you with us.

Last night I spoke at an Orange County School Board Meeting. I was asked by a gentleman to please share our families story with the board members who are getting ready to vote on two options or propasals for zoning in a new school in there area.
Option 5  ( which I discuss in my follow up letter sent December 12,2007 to all school board members ) the students some 300 plus will have to cross a four lane road of traffic to get to the new school they would be zoned for. There will be crosswalks and hopefully crossing guards but the road in question is a 45 mile an hour zone and in the past 9 month 192 citations have been given 23 accidents including roll overs and DUI's and also a police chase. The students in question are elementary aged which means between 5-10 years of age. 
Option 6 ( which I also discuss in the letter ) would mean that those 300 plus children could go to school on there side of the road and not have to cross the road to get to school. The issue in Option 6 is that there is a new apartment complex that will potentially hold between 50-70 students in it and they would have to walk to the school - not crossing a busy road but walking next to it.
You will see in my note that I mention a third option to protect every single child. I wasn't sure last night when I left if I had done any good and I'm still unsure if my words did anything more then put a face with the statistics and numbers the board members are looking at. 
This is my follow up letter sent to the board members hoping they will truely hear Austins Voice that they will vote for SAFETY OVER DEMOGRAPHICS.
This will be an issue we discuss when we write our proposal for a bill we are hoping to get written to effect every county in Florida and change the laws hopefully to ensure safer measure for our HOPE being our children. 
I felt honored to have so many parents wanting me to speak on there behalf I only hope that my words and Austin's Voice have been heard.



Austin's favorite saying was
Don't walk behind me I may not lead
Don't walk infront of me I may not follow
Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Demographics are not as important Safety is. I feel strongly about this which is why I spoke last night at the board meeting regarding Austin's Voice. I fear my message was not heard due to my own emotions on the subject. I ask you all to read this before making your decision.
This board is given the unique opportunity to make a choice a choice that could mean 300 children crossing a 4 lane highway to get to school and the choice of a potential 50-70 students walking down a busy road. I don't know if its too late to consider a third option.
Keep option 6 how it is except one change the Apartment complex in question that addresses the 50-70 students change them from option 6 to the Option 5 location so they can be bussed then everyone is happy and the CHILDREN the HOPE is protected in all cases. If this is an option you can not make happen then choosing option 6 allows you to protect the mass number of students.
Austin was struck by an suv and his body thrown 69 feet this is something that could have been prevented and although there are already more safety measures in place then at his particular stop meaning you have crosswalks and you have crossing guards but when the crossing guards don't show up then what.
Austin was a straight A-B honor roll student who tested in the top 98% of the entire state of Florida on his FCATS. He was not a child who didn't pay attention or was reckless he was a child just like all of these children are. We are talking about Elementary children who are being asked to cross a busy 4 lane road to get an education.
PLEASE stop just looking at numbers and demografics. Color and race and finacial status of our neighbors shouldn't be the factor in this choice. You can make the fact be what it is SAFETY and safety must take presidence over the DEMOGRAPHICS.
A Board member addressed me last night and I appologize for not having her name but she said to me that the board members wouldn't be responsable for the loss of a child regardless of what option was chosen that it's the motorist who are not paying attention. The motorist who are not following the laws. She's absolutely correct in that the board members wont be the drivers who potentially take a life in this school zone area but, if you opt for Option 5 you as the board are allowing those children to be in potentially dangerous situations every day just to get an education. Florida law requires every student get an education rather home schooling or public types of education why is there no law stating the school board and zoning commisions must make sure every child has the safest possable way to there school. Option 6 although not perfect in every way protects the masses the 300 children who would be required in Option 5 to cross a four lane road.
I beg the board members and the community to choose Option 6 or modify it to include the apartment complex in question to still stayed zoned for the Option 5 school. This way every child in question is protected. I understand we may be to far in the process to modify any Option right now but this board is in a unique position to potentially protect every child you have the option of CHOICE and your choice will effect 300 plus children.
I ask you to listen to the public listen to your own self concious and vote for the option to protect children first. Hear Austin's Voice and make the only choice you can make SAFETY BEFORE DEMOGRAPHICS.

Sincerely

Stacy Ryckewaert
Mom of Austin

Don't walk in front of me I may not follow..... 
Don't walk behind as I may not lead.......
Just walk besides me and be My friend......

Austin loved this saying and lived his life by it. He didnt want to be the leader and was to strong to just follow but those whos he was a friend to he touched and protected and honored.