291–300 of 388 posts
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The parent has already signed a release form at the beginning of the school year that designated their kiddo as a walker, and did not need the parent present. Just like your DoorDash option to not be needed to be present
one abduction and one lawsuit will put an end to release forms real quick
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Many of them can't walk home from school. As the article says, most students now live too far away from school (greater than three miles), and many rural/suburban areas have underdeveloped sidewalks and traffic systems. If three miles sounds like not a big deal, it certainly is when you have short legs, a backpack full of books, and uncooperative weather. I was lucky enough to walk to/from school for most of my schoo…
Indeed. My kid could theoretically walk to/from school, but they carry a musical instrument every day along with a backpack full of all of their books. The school doesn't offer lockers anymore because they deemed it "unsafe", so all books and a big Chromebook need to come home each day (and be carried between every class).
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> The bar chart is pretty funny. "Over 3 miles" is the highest bucket? That's supposed to be far? The buckets were chosen because 3 miles is farther than you'd reasonably expect kids to be able to walk to and from school every day. They say this right under the chart. It's not helpful to do chest-thumping to compare whose farthest away from school when the entire point of the section is that 80% of people fall into t…
You’re right, I don’t get it. Why is it expected that kids should be able to walk to school? Seems like that’s a pretty blinkered view by someone who never leaves the city? In a rural district, very few kids can do that, and that’s why there are buses for everyone else. Also, why wouldn’t school buses work in a denser area? That’s why they have multiple school buses doing multiple routes. All the usual arguments for…
Because we typically don't let kids drive. If they're able to walk to school then they can walk themselves to and from school without the help of an adult (even one driving the bus), once they are responsible enough to.
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https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10917142/ And yet, even for students who live within 0.25 mile of school, a minority walk.
Because road crossing are genuinely terrifying today. The automobiles are too big and the drivers are too distracted. I have a hard time walking my kids across the street for school sometimes and that's with a crossing guard. People are fucking nuts and are driving around in these oversized vehicles with their phones in their faces. You can very casually, very trivially observe this any time you want by simply walkin…
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The parent has already signed a release form at the beginning of the school year that designated their kiddo as a walker, and did not need the parent present. Just like your DoorDash option to not be needed to be present
one abduction and one lawsuit will put an end to release forms real quick
We live across the street from our kids elementary and middle schools. There is a sidewalk and a crosswalk to the school. Parents in our subdivision still choose to drive in because "the crosswalk is too dangerous". Schools can't afford crossing guards, county engineers claim it is an enforcement issue, police can't cover it with their limited staffing, and Republicans are banning school speeding cameras in Georgia.
> county engineers claim it is an enforcement issue, They are probably professional engineers who can lose their license if anyone discovered that there have long been known road designs that prevent this. It will take some research, but the law is on your side to have them dismissed for cause if enforcement is all they are relying on.
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Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html
That wouldn't work in US until the whole culture changes. An individual family may do this, and then someone will call child protective services because there is a lost, unaccompanied child. Happened to my coworker: kids were playing outside and a neighbor called the authorities on them. Not clear if they really thought the kids were in danger, or just did it out of spite, but what ensued was a nightmare of CPS calli…
The worst part is that someone would thing this is the appropriate thing to do rather than observe the kids and in any case approach them and ask if they’re OK. The US has grown a culture of “don’t get involved” cowards hidden behind the legal system.
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I appreciate that mandatory reporting laws exist for evidence of abuse, and to an extent, suspicion of abuse; but does your training say that children left alone less than a few hours, is abuse or is suspicious by itself, and needs to be reported? There is always the possibility for anything , so that cannot be the bar.
My training is if there is any possibility of anything report. They specifically told me not to think. Telling me a few hours is okay would mean I now have something to think about and I'm not allowed to do think.
How do I report you for taking the time to reply here instead of reporting that Amy, Brad, Charlie, Drake, Emily, everyone, etc.. parents all have the possibility of abusing them, that their siblings all have the possibility of abusing them, that their friends all have the possibility of abusing them, that their teachers all have the possibility abusing them, that you could be a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning and not remember that you could also be abusing them, that the police have the possibility of abusing them, that secret agents could be sneaking into their house at night and abusing them.
If that was your instructions, then your full-time job should be making reports and nothing else.
See how absurd your instructions were, or what you think your instructions were?
> Likewise, a mom was recently arrested for letting her 10-year-old son walk into town. That linked article is incredible to me (considering how much I used to walk around at that age). If our culture becomes so backwards that you will actually be criminalized for letting your kids move around independently, then of course we'll be doomed to car pickup lines forever.
Had to dig around for this but it is quite illuminating: https://www.freerangekids.com/how-children-lost-the-right-to...
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> As a mandatory reporter if I don't report such a thing I can be put in prison. Many activities now make all adults mandatory reporters (only mandatory reporters are allowed to go camping with scouts). I'm specifically told not to think, if there is any possibility I must report it and let the experts figure out if there is a problem or not. There are some issues here with what you're saying. Mandatory reporter clas…
> Activities can't make people into mandatory reporters. Only some mandated reporters are subject to reporting requirements when off-duty What is all that based on? Are you a mandatory reporter? It might be dangerous to give advice. Even if you know your jurisdiction, others will vary.
> Many activities now make all adults mandatory reporters
I was specifically commenting that an activity doesn't make someone a mandatory reporter. That is you are a mandatory reporter based on your occupation, status, and what is happening. The OPs comment makes it sound like "if you're camping overnight with children, you become a mandatory reporter"
versus, for example, "The BSA's policy is to only allow people who are already designated mandatory reporters to chaperone camping overnight with scouts". The BSA cannot ... mandate ... that you are a mandatory reporter (in the legal sense, with protections and responsibilities accompanying) just by virtue of you saying "I'll chaperone this event" (though they can certainly say "it is our policy that you act as-if").