scrapbug
Full Member
Posts: 343
Jun 26, 2014 0:11:46 GMT
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Post by scrapbug on Sept 5, 2016 1:30:33 GMT
No rules where my kids went to grade school in another state, and no rules here, although not all elementary schools here have buses, many are just so servicing the immediate neighborhoods in their area, so no need.
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Post by myshelly on Sept 5, 2016 1:36:16 GMT
I asked this question a while back. My third grader wants to walk to and from the bus stop alone and I don't feel ready for that. The pea consensus was that it seems early too. Wow. I must have missed that thread. Where I live, third graders regularly walk home from SCHOOL alone (or with groups of friends). Bus stops are generally with in a BLOCK of kids' homes, so that's even closer. I can't imagine not letting your 3rd grader walk home from the bus stop alone. I just read a blog post about "free-range" parenting and how it's pretty much just what normal parenting was when we were kids. We baby kids too much! (It's funny that I think we are making them grow up too fast in some areas--but in some areas I think it's ridiculous how much we hold them back). Do you (and I mean Peas that feel the same) let your kids walk to and from neighborhood friends' houses alone? I get the world is a scary place--but research shows there actually aren't more scary people. It's just media and movies have made it seem like there are. Couldnt you just put some common sense rules in place? Stay with friends. Walk straight home. Don't talk to strangers... We need to teach our kids how to be more independent! (I get there can be exceptions to this--but in normal, safe neighborhoods--this should be he norm). Here there is no bus service. Kids cannot walk home without an adult (a person over 18 who is on file as being allowed to pick up the child) until 4th grade. Kids in 4th and 5th are allowed to walk home. All kids live within 1.5 miles of the school because of the way zoning is here and there are no highways. There are crossing guards at every intersection with a traffic light in the city for 30 minutes after school is out (as well as in front of school and at intersections near schools even if they are just stop signs). We have TONS of school zones. Not just near schools but near anywhere kids have to walk to get home. No, my kids do not walk to "neighborhood friends" houses.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Sept 5, 2016 1:58:21 GMT
Do you know any retired Senior Citizens in your neighborhood, that could used a few extra dollars to supplement their social security/retirement income? Perhaps they would be interested. You could even have a couple Seniors, that way you'd have a back up if one were sick or had an appointment. A scenario like yours, would be perfect for someone like my Mother(70 years).
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Post by cindyupnorth on Sept 5, 2016 2:00:38 GMT
myshelley, I thought you home schooled your kids??
No rules here. My girls got on/off the bus at daycare until they were in the 4-5th grades. Then they started getting on/off the bus at home by themselves. Can you find out from the school if there is anyone else in that area that goes to that school?
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Post by myshelly on Sept 5, 2016 2:01:40 GMT
myshelley, I thought you home schooled your kids?? No rules here. My girls got on/off the bus at daycare until they were in the 4-5th grades. Then they started getting on/off the bus at home by themselves. Can you find out from the school if there is anyone else in that area that goes to that school? Yes. And? Are you assuming that because I homeschool I do am not informed about and involved with the local elementary school? You would be wrong. I have stated in this thread the rules of my city's elementary school. Why would me personally being a homeschool mom negate that?
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Post by Linda on Sept 5, 2016 2:05:11 GMT
Do you (and I mean Peas that feel the same) let your kids walk to and from neighborhood friends' houses alone? I get the world is a scary place--but research shows there actually aren't more scary people. It's just media and movies have made it seem like there are. There are NO neighbourhood kids where we live (rural) but if there were, I would be happy to have my kids walk to their friend's houses or the playground (if there was one closeby). That's one of my cons of living in a rural area - my kids don't get any experience with going out and about on their own until they get their drivers license. So I guess in the cases of a home that is not visible from the road, the parents may be asked to have someone out there. Hmm...I wonder if that's what's behind the rule here - our house (in fact our entire property) isn't visible from the street
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Post by melanell on Sept 5, 2016 22:14:48 GMT
Do you (and I mean Peas that feel the same) let your kids walk to and from neighborhood friends' houses alone? I get the world is a scary place--but research shows there actually aren't more scary people. It's just media and movies have made it seem like there are. If we lived in a regular neighborhood setting in the same general area that we live now, I would definitely let my 3rd or 4th grader walk home from the bus on their own. But on our street, even if the bus did let them off down the road from home, I would pick them up. As someone else said, there are downsides to rural living, and this is one of them. Unmarked rural streets in PA have a speed limit of 55 miles an hour. Unfortunately, even on roads that are marked (in part or in whole) at the lesser 45 & 35 MPH speeds, people often stick to the 55 speed. We live in a mountainous area, so our roads are hilly and twisty. Straightaways where you can see oncoming traffic or pedestrians are rare and short. Even just driving, I have learned to hug the shoulders on curves because people regularly come over the middle line into your lane around bends. Long story short , I don't even want to walk on these roads. And other adults must agree, because I can count on one hand how many pedestrians I have seen on my road in the past decade plus. So there is no way I would want a group of kids walking it. It's hard to even cross our street to get our mail. We have a curve on both sides of our driveway and I stand at the end of the driveway and listen for traffic, because I cannot see it coming, but that doesn't mean someone couldn't be right there in a moment's time. My kids love when we visit their grandparents' homes, because they both live in the town proper and then the kids can walk through the neighborhoods. Save
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psiluvu
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,217
Location: Canada's Capital
Jun 25, 2014 22:52:26 GMT
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Post by psiluvu on Sept 5, 2016 22:20:42 GMT
Our school board rules is JK to grade 3 has to be picked up/ dropped off at the stop. Both of my kids would have been fine doing iot alone by about grade 2 but we waited until grade 4 to do it.
We also have dark winter nights here but the latest my kids have ever gotten off the bus is about 4:10 so that never played into any decisions.
I can't beleive 18 that is absolutely asinine. I would talk to someone above the driver.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Sept 5, 2016 22:42:52 GMT
No, my kids do not walk to "neighborhood friends" houses Yes. And? Are you assuming that because I homeschool I do am not informed about and involved with the local elementary school? You would be wrong. I have stated in this thread the rules of my city's elementary school. Why would me personally being a homeschool mom negate that? Because you said your kids don't walk to neighborhood kids homes. I assume now you mean, never, but in this OP she meant getting on/off the bus, which is what we are talking about. Not in general. You wouldn't have any experience with this, as your kids are home schooled. Nor do you really know if other kids do this. Since you really are not out there with the kids, or in the school or have real life experience with it. You frankly always post on these school related threads, and you really don't know, since you home school. How could you know? It's not putting you down, it's just you don't know. You aren't out there. Just like a lot of us really don't know about home schooling. I would never post on a home school thread posting advice, because I don't have any experience!
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Post by myshelly on Sept 5, 2016 22:52:25 GMT
No, my kids do not walk to "neighborhood friends" houses Yes. And? Are you assuming that because I homeschool I do am not informed about and involved with the local elementary school? You would be wrong. I have stated in this thread the rules of my city's elementary school. Why would me personally being a homeschool mom negate that? Because you said your kids don't walk to neighborhood kids homes. I assume now you mean, never, but in this OP she meant getting on/off the bus, which is what we are talking about. Not in general. You wouldn't have any experience with this, as your kids are home schooled. Nor do you really know if other kids do this. Since you really are not out there with the kids, or in the school or have real life experience with it. You frankly always post on these school related threads, and you really don't know, since you home school. How could you know? It's not putting you down, it's just you don't know. You aren't out there. Just like a lot of us really don't know about home schooling. I would never post on a home school thread posting advice, because I don't have any experience! A different poster asked about kids walking to their friends' houses in the neighborhood. I was responding to that question in the first quote. Not the question in the OP. What do you think I don't know? The OP asked what other schools' policies are. I know what the local school's policy is. That not an opinion. It's fact. I don't need any experience to state a fact. I stated what the local elementary school policy is here. That's exactly what the OP asked. But since you are wondering my experience with public schools is: I used to teach at the elementary school My husband currently teaches at the elementary school My best friend is the receptionist at the elementary school I do the school pick up line 1-2 times a week at the elementary school I attend PTA meetings and school events at the local elementary school So, please, tell me what I don't know about the local elementary school.
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Post by myshelly on Sept 5, 2016 22:55:28 GMT
No, my kids do not walk to "neighborhood friends" houses Yes. And? Are you assuming that because I homeschool I do am not informed about and involved with the local elementary school? You would be wrong. I have stated in this thread the rules of my city's elementary school. Why would me personally being a homeschool mom negate that? Because you said your kids don't walk to neighborhood kids homes. I assume now you mean, never, but in this OP she meant getting on/off the bus, which is what we are talking about. Not in general. You wouldn't have any experience with this, as your kids are home schooled. Nor do you really know if other kids do this. Since you really are not out there with the kids, or in the school or have real life experience with it. You frankly always post on these school related threads, and you really don't know, since you home school. How could you know? It's not putting you down, it's just you don't know. You aren't out there. Just like a lot of us really don't know about home schooling. I would never post on a home school thread posting advice, because I don't have any experience! do you follow the thread or just pick out my posts to read? Another poster, not the OP, specifically asked "do your kids walk to their neighborhood friends homes". I quoted her question and answered it. So why are you jumping all over me?
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msliz
Drama Llama
The Procrastinator
Posts: 6,419
Jun 26, 2014 21:32:34 GMT
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Post by msliz on Sept 5, 2016 23:00:16 GMT
It sounds to me like the bus company is just making efforts to cover its ass. All students under 18? Yeah, this policy has nothing to do with kids, and everything to do with liability.
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