Anonymous
08/29/2021 11:19
Subject: Re:Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
I would not let my elem age kid wait alone at a bus stop. I would if there was a group of them. Kid standing in the same place at the same time every day would make me nervous they could easily get snatched. I would let them walk home by themselves 1st grade and up.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 11:15
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
At our bus stop parents cover for other parents all the time. The bus driver does not seem to take any notice of whether a younger child is met by a specific parent. Grandparents might be in town instead of the parents. I do not put any responsibililty of the driver for making sure my child is met. Maybe some drivers do that but I would not count on it.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 11:10
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
Anonymous wrote:You are going to get a bunch of helicopters here but the reality is that there is no policy by the county for K and onwards (there is for Head Start.)
And the other reality is that most kids back in our day and even now all across the county, walk to and from their bus stop without parents. I mean in NYC, kids over 8 are told they no longer need a parent for buses and subway to get to school. Their student card is single use only the year they turn 8.
I think our suburban, middle class and affluent areas coddle kids in a "we are good parents" way and like showing up to gossip and wear business wear or trendy yoga gear on. This is absolutely not the norm most places and we really infantilize our kids for our vanity and socialization. Want to put on a show, but we literally give our kids no autonomy, street smarts, and socialization skills of their own.
Bus stops tend to have more parents than kids these days. It is freaking weird. Middle school last year more than half the kids had parents dropping them off in cars or standing at the bus stop. We are talking a neighborhood with no drive through access and no bus stop is more than a 1/8 mile away from the furthest house.
I haven't gotten to high school yet. I am scared
If your child is asking to walk alone, let them. They will be absolutely fine and better for it
I agree with what you're saying but it is also true that bus drivers won't let the younger kids off if a parent isn't there.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 01:20
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
Anonymous wrote:You are going to get a bunch of helicopters here but the reality is that there is no policy by the county for K and onwards (there is for Head Start.)
And the other reality is that most kids back in our day and even now all across the county, walk to and from their bus stop without parents. I mean in NYC, kids over 8 are told they no longer need a parent for buses and subway to get to school. Their student card is single use only the year they turn 8.
I think our suburban, middle class and affluent areas coddle kids in a "we are good parents" way and like showing up to gossip and wear business wear or trendy yoga gear on. This is absolutely not the norm most places and we really infantilize our kids for our vanity and socialization. Want to put on a show, but we literally give our kids no autonomy, street smarts, and socialization skills of their own.
Bus stops tend to have more parents than kids these days. It is freaking weird. Middle school last year more than half the kids had parents dropping them off in cars or standing at the bus stop. We are talking a neighborhood with no drive through access and no bus stop is more than a 1/8 mile away from the furthest house.
I haven't gotten to high school yet. I am scared
If your child is asking to walk alone, let them. They will be absolutely fine and better for it
Finally! I don't understand MoCo parents on this, either. When I grew up, I also never saw parents at bus stops. Kids walked to school in first grade. I didn't, since I lived out of town, but I definitely remember walking around town with friends after school in third grade.
Out here, a few years back I remember a coworker telling me she needed to leave a meeting early so that she'd be home when her son got home from school. Her son was 16 years old, and by her own admission, was mature and responsible. I thought she was kidding and actually laughed... I just got a confused look back.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 00:31
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
You are going to get a bunch of helicopters here but the reality is that there is no policy by the county for K and onwards (there is for Head Start.)
And the other reality is that most kids back in our day and even now all across the county, walk to and from their bus stop without parents. I mean in NYC, kids over 8 are told they no longer need a parent for buses and subway to get to school. Their student card is single use only the year they turn 8.
I think our suburban, middle class and affluent areas coddle kids in a "we are good parents" way and like showing up to gossip and wear business wear or trendy yoga gear on. This is absolutely not the norm most places and we really infantilize our kids for our vanity and socialization. Want to put on a show, but we literally give our kids no autonomy, street smarts, and socialization skills of their own.
Bus stops tend to have more parents than kids these days. It is freaking weird. Middle school last year more than half the kids had parents dropping them off in cars or standing at the bus stop. We are talking a neighborhood with no drive through access and no bus stop is more than a 1/8 mile away from the furthest house.
I haven't gotten to high school yet. I am scared
If your child is asking to walk alone, let them. They will be absolutely fine and better for it
And the other reality is that most kids back in our day and even now all across the county, walk to and from their bus stop without parents. I mean in NYC, kids over 8 are told they no longer need a parent for buses and subway to get to school. Their student card is single use only the year they turn 8.
I think our suburban, middle class and affluent areas coddle kids in a "we are good parents" way and like showing up to gossip and wear business wear or trendy yoga gear on. This is absolutely not the norm most places and we really infantilize our kids for our vanity and socialization. Want to put on a show, but we literally give our kids no autonomy, street smarts, and socialization skills of their own.
Bus stops tend to have more parents than kids these days. It is freaking weird. Middle school last year more than half the kids had parents dropping them off in cars or standing at the bus stop. We are talking a neighborhood with no drive through access and no bus stop is more than a 1/8 mile away from the furthest house.
I haven't gotten to high school yet. I am scared
If your child is asking to walk alone, let them. They will be absolutely fine and better for it
Anonymous
08/29/2021 00:29
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
A neighbor once forgot it was early dismissal and the bus driver let her daughter off alone. It was a group bus stop so maybe he didn't realize nonone was there to walk her home.
After we moved there was a different bus driver who wouldn't let a k student off even though her older sister was there to walk her home.
After we moved there was a different bus driver who wouldn't let a k student off even though her older sister was there to walk her home.
Anonymous
08/29/2021 00:03
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
Anonymous wrote:I believe Maryland law is that you’re never allowed to have any child under 8 unsupervised anywhere ever. I don’t agree with it but that’s what it says and it’s sometimes enforced.
No, that's not the law. The law says:
"A person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child."
So, that wouldn't apply in this scenario. But I understand the local police and CPS will occasionally threatened parents over it. I'm not going to say "mistakenly" because I think they're well aware of what the law does and doesn't say.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 23:58
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
Anonymous wrote:I thought they couldn't leave a kindergartener alone. They are supposed to take them back to the school if there isn't a parent to meet them. But we never had an issue. My child was able to go alone the last quarter of kindergarten.
Posted in the other thread too. Kids are let off at group bus stops - my K kid and sibling were let off at a group stop and Clarksburg bus depot said that it was by policy when I called and made a complaint (it was my fault for not being there on an early release day but I think they should have taken the kids back to school not let them off). A neighbor car trailed them till they got home which was what they told me.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 22:29
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
I dont think the bus driver does much more than open the door. How would he know what grade a kid is in or which parents go with which kid? Do what you feel comfortable with.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 22:13
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
I thought they couldn't leave a kindergartener alone. They are supposed to take them back to the school if there isn't a parent to meet them. But we never had an issue. My child was able to go alone the last quarter of kindergarten.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 21:41
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
I believe Maryland law is that you’re never allowed to have any child under 8 unsupervised anywhere ever. I don’t agree with it but that’s what it says and it’s sometimes enforced.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 19:27
Subject: Re:Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
I think a 3rd grader can walk to/from the bus stop alone. But busybodies in my neighborhood think that even 5th graders need a parent with them... so there's that side of it to consider.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 19:21
Subject: Re:Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
The official regulation states this:
(c) Parents/guardians are responsible for meeting
prekindergarten and Head Start students on mid-day
buses and students on special education buses at their
assigned bus stops. When these students are not met,
bus operators will follow established procedures to
ensure student safety until students and
parents/guardians can be reunited.
(d) So that children are prepared for those occasions
when parents/guardians may be unable to meet the
bus or are late, parents/guardians are encouraged to
instruct their children what they are to do in their
parents/guardians’ absence, as bus operators are not
able to ensure that each student is met by a
parent/guardian except in those circumstances
described in (c) above.
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/eeara.pdf
(c) Parents/guardians are responsible for meeting
prekindergarten and Head Start students on mid-day
buses and students on special education buses at their
assigned bus stops. When these students are not met,
bus operators will follow established procedures to
ensure student safety until students and
parents/guardians can be reunited.
(d) So that children are prepared for those occasions
when parents/guardians may be unable to meet the
bus or are late, parents/guardians are encouraged to
instruct their children what they are to do in their
parents/guardians’ absence, as bus operators are not
able to ensure that each student is met by a
parent/guardian except in those circumstances
described in (c) above.
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/eeara.pdf
Anonymous
08/28/2021 19:04
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
I think the bus drivers won’t let them off without an adult or older sibling until second grade. Not sure about the rule for letting them on—I can’t imagine a bus driver would drive off and leave a 5 year old standing there! Our bus stop has about 4-5 families so it’s rare than anyone would be alone. Most families send a parent most days.
Anonymous
08/28/2021 18:53
Subject: Age to be be picked up alone from the school bus stop?
Our bus stop is only 2 blocks from our house and doesn’t require crossing any streets in the morning. In the afternoon they have just have to cross one street while the bus is flashing the red stop sign. My kid is fairly young but is adamant they want to go alone. I couldn’t find the age cutoff on the MCPS site. Is there a rule about this? Is it by age? Grade? Or is it up to the parents? Obviously I’m going to walk with my kid on the first day, but wanted guidance for what to do after that. Thanks!