Walking home from school with sibling?

[Anonymous]

Is a kindergartener allowed to walk home from school with an older sibling? How old / what grade does the sibling have to be? I have a rising 5th grader that has been walking home for over a year and a new kindergartener. We are waitlisted on the extended day list. APS.

[Anonymous]

Did you call the front office of the school and ask what their policy is?

[Anonymous]

No rules unless they are new. I remember asking at a PTA meeting when we had one in 3rd and one in 1st when it was OK to let kids walk to/from school together without a parent (we live 3 blocks from the ES school, one not busy street to cross).

They looked at me like I had 3 heads, there was a long silent pause, and then from a PTA Officer, "never."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you call the front office of the school and ask what their policy is?

I called the front desk but no one answered and I didn't leave a message. I will call again next week. Wondering if there was a county policy. If they walked home, they would only be home max 30 min without me. Earliest I can leave work is the same time as the release bell. I remember walking home from the bus in elementary school but I know things change plus I was in a different county then.

Alternately, what are my chances of getting off an extended day waitlist?

[Anonymous]

Your older child can walk the younger child home. Talk with the K teacher about how to coordinate pickup and have a plan for when the older one is absent.

[Anonymous]

We were told kids needed to be in 4th grade to walk home alone. I think they'd let a 5th grader walk at 2nd or 3rd grader, but not a K or 1st grader.

[Anonymous]

It’s your kid. They can’t legally prevent you from doing this.

[Anonymous]

No— county policy is that third grade and younger have to be walked with an adult (similar to how you have to have an adult meet them at the bus). Your school may not follow the official policy depending on how many walkers the school has. What school are you at? There are other after school programs that pick your kid up if they didn’t get into extended day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s your kid. They can’t legally prevent you from doing this.

They can absolutely decide not to release the student except to an adult. That's pretty normal for a kindergartener.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No rules unless they are new. I remember asking at a PTA meeting when we had one in 3rd and one in 1st when it was OK to let kids walk to/from school together without a parent (we live 3 blocks from the ES school, one not busy street to cross).

They looked at me like I had 3 heads, there was a long silent pause, and then from a PTA Officer, "never."

OMG, that is bananas.

[Anonymous]

I called and the person that answered didn't have an answer and left a message for an administrator to get back to me. Looks like there isn't an easy answer so for now, looking at other options. The only ones I know of all have wait lists so I might look into a babysitter or something until we get an extended day spot. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No— county policy is that third grade and younger have to be walked with an adult (similar to how you have to have an adult meet them at the bus). Your school may not follow the official policy depending on how many walkers the school has. What school are you at? There are other after school programs that pick your kid up if they didn’t get into extended day.

At our APS elementary, plenty of 3rd graders walked home themselves last year.

[Anonymous]

At our APS school, I think K have to be released to an adult, but the teachers walk them outside and you can tell the teacher to send them home with an older sibling. All other kids are just let out of the school and scatter home, so I would say starting in 1st they can go home alone, if you and they are ok with it? We are just a couple blocks down the street and I usually like to walk home with my kids, but definitely have had my 1st and 3rd graders walks themselves home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I called and the person that answered didn't have an answer and left a message for an administrator to get back to me. Looks like there isn't an easy answer so for now, looking at other options. The only ones I know of all have wait lists so I might look into a babysitter or something until we get an extended day spot. Any suggestions?

The secretary isn’t going to be able to answer it, email the admin. They are in interviews, meetings etc so it can be hard to get a hold of them in the summer.

[Anonymous]

At our APS school kids have to be in 3rd to walk home without an adult, whether from school or a bus stop.

OP, is there a parent or au pair willing to get you kindergartener off the bus and then allow them to walk home with your 5th grader, assuming that is what you want.