The Pendulum Swings Back? New Term "Free Range Kids"

[evmori 11]

In our county, parents are supposed to be waiting with their elementary school kids at the bus, and they are supposed to be there in the afternoon when the bus drops them off (per county BOE rules). If no parents are at the stop, the bus driver is instructed not to let the kids off at that stop. I don't know how frequently that happens, or if the bus drivers follow that directive.

 

Where does the bus driver take them if there is no one at the stop? This seems a little like too much government to me.

[scoutldr 732]

That's the policy in this district, too, for kindergartners. If there is no responsible adult waiting at the bus stop, the kid is taken back to school until the parents can be contacted. And there are no walking zones if they have to cross a major thoroughfare...even if they live right across the street.

 

Not sure I would let my kids run around with guns at night. That could have a bad outcome.

[evmori 11]

This is scary!

[John-in-KC 311]

OGE,

 

Thanks. I'm going to send this to my district commish.

[sherminator505 10]

I agree with Ed on this one... sort of. I think it's scary that the scools are scared to drop kids off without adults waiting because they don't wish to be responsible for the possible outcomes. This is a confluence of several societal problems.

[evmori 11]

The scary part to me is the hovering of these parents! When are they gonna let little Johnnie have some space?

[Mr. Boyce 13]

One problem with the "Frightened by Life" Philosophy is that the age limit tends to creep up. First we're fearful for the ten year-olds. Then the 12 year-olds. Then the 18 year-olds, then the 22 year-olds, then we want to wrap the whole world in packing materials and rubber guardrails.

[TWOMORROWS 10]

I would expect a 5th grader to be capable of walking to the end of the driveway to get on the school bus!

[scoutldr 732]

No, TWOMORROWS...it can be a WHOLE BLOCK!

[BrentAllen 10]

Sure, Twomorrows, she is capable. I walk her down for a couple of reasons:

1. With the bus coming at 6:34, she is scrambling to get out there on time. I usually carry her pack while she is putting on a hoodie.

 

2. The first day of school, we had some nut job driving around in the neighborhood at the crack of dawn, asking the women who were out running or walking for directions. When they approached him, they saw he wasn't wearing any clothes and was, well, acting badly. They never caught the perv. So, yes, I'm a little over-protective right now.

[Nike 94]

Brent,

 

Was he driving a souped up,late model Mustang with a Shelby paint job? If so he was in our neighborhood on the other side of metro Atlanta last spring.

 

 

[BrentAllen 10]

Nike,

He was in a late model Mustang. Didn't hear about the Shelby paint job, but the women might not know what that was. Hopefully that means the guy isn't local, at leat not Dunwoody-local. Thanks for the info.

[evmori 11]

Brent,

 

I can understand walking her down the first couple of days of school & the nut job. But after that, don't ya think she should take the responsibility of getting herself down to the bus stop on time?

[sherminator505 10]

Getting herself to the bus on time?! Am I completely missing the point of this thread?

[BrentAllen 10]

Ed,

She does a pretty good job of getting ready. The first week of school, the bus came at 7:15 and she had no problem. There were a bunch of kids at the stop, and we had no problems. She is attending a new school, a 4th & 5th grade academy that opened this year, and they are having transportation issues. That 7:15 bus was extremely crowded, 3 kids to a seat, kids standing in the isle. So they changed routes around, and the bus comes at 6:34, and now there aren't any kids at the stop (the parents are taking them to school, or to another stop nearby that picks up at 7:00). So am I comfortable having her waiting at the stop in the dark at 6:30 in the moring by herself? No. I make no apologies for that, and you can think what you want of me. When she gets home from school, she hops on her bike and takes off all over the neighborhood. I have no problem with that - she gets her "Free Range" time in.

 

When I was a kid, I walked to elementary school - in a group of 6 - 8 friends. I believe we still teach the Buddy System in Scouting, and there are many reasons for it. I think the safety lessons in the Buddy System work for my daughter as well. Your mileage may vary.