Free-range kids picked up AGAIN by police

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Downtown Silver Spring has some very busy streets, and a few pedestrian fatalities in the past few years. Sometimes kids don't pay enough attention or take stupid risks because they don't truly understand they could get hit by a car or whatever. A good number of adults and teens run across Colesville, Georgia, etc. against the light. If you're not paying attention, that serves as a cue that it's your turn to cross too.

I was going to say something similar. Lots of people are running with this story saying "but I let my kids go to the park all the time and it's fine." If you're not familiar with this particular area, it doesn't mean much. There really are some awful intersections and it's not an overblown fear of child abduction that has some people saying it's not wise to let these kids wander this particular area unsupervised. I have no opinion as to whether CPS has overstepped the line, but can we stop pretending that this is just big government vs. sensible parents. There are legitimate threats to a child's safety in that area and pretending that this is just a case of nosy neighbors turning in parents who let their kids go to the park unsupervised misses the point. If we didn't have so many danagerous drivers in the area maybe these kids could have more freedom. But welcome to Silver Spring...

Agreed. There is no way in hell I would let my 10 year old and 6 year old do that walk.

Stop slut shaming the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

How do I know? Because two children walking to a park is not a threat to public safety and is not illegal, and because getting taken to CPS by the police for being children walking to a park is not in the best interests of a child.

Wrong. Many children are neglected in Montgomery County Maryland every year. CPS gets calls every day from concerned citizens call and they investigate the situation.

Wrong, what? It's a threat to public safety when two children walk to a park? It's illegal for two children to walk to a park? It's in the best interests of a child to get taken into CPS custody by the police for walking to a park?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Correct, the parents should be in jail for child neglect, they are the perpetrators

The perpetrators of what? Letting your child walk to the park does not constitute child neglect.

Well the law says otherwise

Which law?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Let's use your logic, pp. If I think it's reasonable to let my 18 or 20 year old to drink so I let them and get in trouble with the court, then I should focus my criticism on the law, the police and the courts...who are merely doing their job...rather than evaluate my parenting when I continue to allow them to drink despite having been told by the court not to allow that. Dumb. Really dumb.

I agree with the pp about wondering about the parents judgment overall.

But they are not merely doing their job. Their job is to maintain public safety, enforce the law, and look after the best interests of the child. Picking up two children at the park does none of these things.

Also, there is a significant distinction between thinking about the wisdom of your own behavior and condemning the behavior of other people. Lots of people do lots of things, all the time, that I think are dumb. That doesn't mean that the police should not allow people to do those things.

The police must respond whenever a call is made...that's policy...so they were doing their job.

When they discovered who the kids were, they knew their backstory and realized they weren't in compliance with CPS given the prior incident. Again, they were doing their job.

CPS knows the family and knows whatever orders were put in place. Needed to bring the parents in for a chat to get info (did you allow them to go to the park alone? Where were you? Do you remember the rules we gave you when you were in court last year?). Doing their job.

I think some posters are misunderstanding what's going on. We are baffled as to why anyone would let their kids go to the park alone after having been told by CPS not to do that. That's different from criticizing the average parents choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to donate to the family's legal defense, you can do so here:

https://www.causes.com/posts/942411-montgomery-county-schools-and-cps-at-odds-over-children-walking?hc_location=ufi

Why the HELL would I do that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I was going to say something similar. Lots of people are running with this story saying "but I let my kids go to the park all the time and it's fine." If you're not familiar with this particular area, it doesn't mean much. There really are some awful intersections and it's not an overblown fear of child abduction that has some people saying it's not wise to let these kids wander this particular area unsupervised. I have no opinion as to whether CPS has overstepped the line, but can we stop pretending that this is just big government vs. sensible parents. There are legitimate threats to a child's safety in that area and pretending that this is just a case of nosy neighbors turning in parents who let their kids go to the park unsupervised misses the point. If we didn't have so many danagerous drivers in the area maybe these kids could have more freedom. But welcome to Silver Spring...

I'm familiar with this particular area. The "awful" intersections have wide sidewalks, clearly marked crosswalks, lots and lots of pedestrians, pedestrian signals, and low-speed (25-30 mph) roads. Are the intersections as safe as they could be? Absolutely not. Do you take your life into your hands when you cross Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue? Nope.

I've seen some really scary near-misses at the intersection of Wayne and Georgia. Is that one of the intersections we're talking about? There's a lot of confusion between drivers and pedestrians about who has the right of way. I've also heard the "pedestrian down" reports for that intersection more than once during my morning commute. This is an intersection where pedestrians have to be prepared for the driver to break the rules and react quickly if that happens. That's why having an adult present is a no-brainer. But maybe I'm not thinking of the right area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these parents, and their self-righteous melodramatic facebook page, are pathetic.

They are using their children as pawns. No child should have to spend a day in custody because their parents are trying to make a statement.

No public resources should be spend dealing w/ this ridiculousness when there are kids genuinely in danger. (And I'm totally on CPS and the Police's side in this - they are legally bound to respond - they cannot leave children alone if they are made aware.)

These parents are harming their children. I place all the blame on them.

It seems as if they're enjoying all the attention (negative and otherwise) and seeking it, to their children's detriment. I really can't imagine anyone thinking that a 6 year old is just fine in a big city, even with a ten year old sibling.

Here's an example of one of those dangerous big-city places the children were walking to:

http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/bullislp.shtm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think some posters are misunderstanding what's going on. We are baffled as to why anyone would let their kids go to the park alone after having been told by CPS not to do that. That's different from criticizing the average parents choices.

I am baffled why CPS would tell parents that they're not allowed to let their children walk to a park.

[Anonymous]

I'm new to the thread. Does anyone know if the person that complained to CPS is the same one as last time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted earlier asking if this is actually illegal.

It would help if the county police and/or CPS would clarify this for everyone. If it is illegal for kids ages 6 and 10 to be alone at a park 1/3 of a mile from home, I wish the police would make that clear.

Yes. It is. Go to the court hearing if you want to learn more. I am sure the FB page will post the time and location.

What law says that it is illegal for children ages 6 and 10 to be alone at a park 1/3 of a mile from home?

Maryland Child Protective Services Procedures (SSA95-13) define an "unattended child" as:
A child under eight left alone or in the care of a person who is not reliable or who is under 13.
A child aged eight through 12 left alone for longer than brief periods without support systems which should include phone numbers of parents, other family members or neighbors, information about personal safety, and what to do in an emergency. Children in this age group may not be left to care for children under the age of eight.
A child 12 or over who is left alone for long hours or overnight or with responsibilities beyond capabilities or where there is some special risk factor such as mental retardation or physical handicap that would indicate that the child may be in jeopardy.
A child who has been abandoned.
A child of any age who is handicapped and left alone, if the handicapping condition constitutes a special risk factor which indicates that the child is in jeopardy.
Maryland Family Law, 5-701(p) states that NEGLECT is "the leaving of a child unattended or other failure to give proper care and attention to a child by any parent or other person who has permanent or temporary care or custody or responsibility for supervision under circumstances that indicate: that the child's health or welfare is harmed or placed at substantial risk of harm."
The Montgomery County Child Protective Services defines neglect as "the chronic failure of a parent, caretaker, household or family member to provide a child under 18 basic needs of life, such as: food, clothing, shelter, medical care, attention to hygiene, educational opportunity, protection and supervision. Cultural standards which differ from those of most of the community are not necessarily neglect." To make a report call 240-777-4417.

[Anonymous]

What's weird to me is that the police/CPS didn't call the parents for a couple of hours. I'm sure the 10 year old knows the parents phone number (and I would think the 6 year old does as well). Why didn't the police or CPS immediately call the parents and say "We're taking the children into custody. Please come down to X for an investigatory interview" or whatever the process was.

I agree with other posters that the law is sort of disturbingly vague, but I think that's probably true for many child abuse/neglect issues. Like, it's not against the law to spank your kids. But if you do it too much or too hard, then yes it is. You can confine you kid to his room, but if it's too long, then you can't. You can let your kid wander around your immediate neighborhood for some period of time, but it's not exactly clear how far you can let them go or for how long. (My kids were about 7 houses away yesterday, playing some game of imaginary something in an empty green space while I gardened. I assume that's not neglect, but I guess I don't really know.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
If you want to donate to the family's legal defense, you can do so here:

https://www.causes.com/posts/942411-montgomery-cou...ildren-walking?hc_location=ufi


Why the HELL would I do that

thanks for the link am donating now. Also call the elected officials in Mont Co.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Maryland Child Protective Services Procedures (SSA95-13) define an "unattended child" as:
A child under eight left alone or in the care of a person who is not reliable or who is under 13.A child aged eight through 12 left alone for longer than brief periods without support systems which should include phone numbers of parents, other family members or neighbors, information about personal safety, and what to do in an emergency. Children in this age group may not be left to care for children under the age of eight.
A child 12 or over who is left alone for long hours or overnight or with responsibilities beyond capabilities or where there is some special risk factor such as mental retardation or physical handicap that would indicate that the child may be in jeopardy.
A child who has been abandoned.
A child of any age who is handicapped and left alone, if the handicapping condition constitutes a special risk factor which indicates that the child is in jeopardy.
Maryland Family Law, 5-701(p) states that NEGLECT is "the leaving of a child unattended or other failure to give proper care and attention to a child by any parent or other person who has permanent or temporary care or custody or responsibility for supervision under circumstances that indicate: that the child's health or welfare is harmed or placed at substantial risk of harm."
The Montgomery County Child Protective Services defines neglect as "the chronic failure of a parent, caretaker, household or family member to provide a child under 18 basic needs of life, such as: food, clothing, shelter, medical care, attention to hygiene, educational opportunity, protection and supervision. Cultural standards which differ from those of most of the community are not necessarily neglect." To make a report call 240-777-4417.

Then there are a lot of unattended children in the county walking to school. Not in middle-class Silver Spring, though, so I guess they don't count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think these parents, and their self-righteous melodramatic facebook page, are pathetic.

They are using their children as pawns. No child should have to spend a day in custody because their parents are trying to make a statement.

No public resources should be spend dealing w/ this ridiculousness when there are kids genuinely in danger. (And I'm totally on CPS and the Police's side in this - they are legally bound to respond - they cannot leave children alone if they are made aware.)

These parents are harming their children. I place all the blame on them.

It seems as if they're enjoying all the attention (negative and otherwise) and seeking it, to their children's detriment. I really can't imagine anyone thinking that a 6 year old is just fine in a big city, even with a ten year old sibling.

Here's an example of one of those dangerous big-city places the children were walking to:

http://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks_facilities_directory/bullislp.shtm

But I don't think people are as worried about the destination as they are about the journey. Are there any major roads or busy intersections nearby?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's weird to me is that the police/CPS didn't call the parents for a couple of hours. I'm sure the 10 year old knows the parents phone number (and I would think the 6 year old does as well). Why didn't the police or CPS immediately call the parents and say "We're taking the children into custody. Please come down to X for an investigatory interview" or whatever the process was.

I agree with other posters that the law is sort of disturbingly vague, but I think that's probably true for many child abuse/neglect issues. Like, it's not against the law to spank your kids. But if you do it too much or too hard, then yes it is. You can confine you kid to his room, but if it's too long, then you can't. You can let your kid wander around your immediate neighborhood for some period of time, but it's not exactly clear how far you can let them go or for how long. (My kids were about 7 houses away yesterday, playing some game of imaginary something in an empty green space while I gardened. I assume that's not neglect, but I guess I don't really know.)

I don't think it's neglect. CPS might think it's neglect, though.