Anonymous wrote:We're out of bounds so even our bus stop isn't walking distance from where we live. Thus the problem. No issues with DC arriving home alone or being home alone. It's the _getting_ home that doesn't work!

Is there a grandparent or neighbor that could pick them up from the bus stop? Can you or your DH work from home at least 1/2 day? Can they uber? Otherwise you take off. Unless you know that no instruction will happen in any of their classes I would send them to school.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some middle schools have after care options.

That sounds incredibly embarrassing.

Because you're an idiot?

After care programs won't take kids with significant special needs. So that suggests people are sending relatively neurotypical and typically-developing 12 year olds to after care.

That's embarrassing for the kids and the parents.

While it sounds like aftercare would not have worked for the OP's situation, this is a ridiculous comment. Our aftercare provider accepts middle schoolers and there is a separate room for them. They basically sit on their chromebooks (doing homework or goofing off) for an hour or two until their parents can pick them up. It's no big deal. My kid did it in 6th grade and there was a fair number of other 6th graders there. It was useful for kid to get homework done so they didn't have to do anything when they got home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some middle schools have after care options.

That sounds incredibly embarrassing.

Because you're an idiot?

After care programs won't take kids with significant special needs. So that suggests people are sending relatively neurotypical and typically-developing 12 year olds to after care.

That's embarrassing for the kids and the parents.

Anonymous wrote:If you can't get an ES student home, especially on a half-day, you send them to aftercare. But what do you do with a middle schooler when MCPS has a half day and you have to be at work _and_ none of your friends and neighbors are available? Can they stay at school? Or do you just not send them that day?

You take a day off from work if you can't find anyone to care for your child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some middle schools have after care options.

That sounds incredibly embarrassing.

Because you're an idiot?

Anonymous wrote:I did not realize so many kids had no parents

In this economy?

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're out of bounds so even our bus stop isn't walking distance from where we live. Thus the problem. No issues with DC arriving home alone or being home alone. It's the _getting_ home that doesn't work!

That's part of the deal when you choose an out of bounds option - one of us works from home on early release days.

- Parent of kid who went to out of bounds middle school and now an out of bounds high school

This. I currently have a kid in an out of bounds MS. You should have checked your kid's calendar and made the arrangements in advance or you have to take time off to drop your kid home if no one else can do that for you.

The library option may work for an older kid but I would be stressed if I had my kid taking public transport alone in MS.

The staying with a friend sounds like a good option if the kid actually has close friends. But for an introvert that would not work.

Totally agree about advance planning: several perfect storms did away with multiple backup plans. We eventually found a way but would probably have just had DC skip school otherwise. It makes me wonder how often other families with less flexibility than we usually have might face the same choice even on a regular school day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're out of bounds so even our bus stop isn't walking distance from where we live. Thus the problem. No issues with DC arriving home alone or being home alone. It's the _getting_ home that doesn't work!

That's part of the deal when you choose an out of bounds option - one of us works from home on early release days.

- Parent of kid who went to out of bounds middle school and now an out of bounds high school

This. I currently have a kid in an out of bounds MS. You should have checked your kid's calendar and made the arrangements in advance or you have to take time off to drop your kid home if no one else can do that for you.

The library option may work for an older kid but I would be stressed if I had my kid taking public transport alone in MS.

The staying with a friend sounds like a good option if the kid actually has close friends. But for an introvert that would not work.

I did not realize so many kids had no parents

Anonymous wrote:We're out of bounds so even our bus stop isn't walking distance from where we live. Thus the problem. No issues with DC arriving home alone or being home alone. It's the _getting_ home that doesn't work!

So you are saying the issue is getting from the bus stop home and (I'm assuming) you normally pick them up from the bus? I guess I'd look to see if there is a neighbor (adult or trusted highschooler who drives) who can pick them up from the bus. Or maybe the parent of another kid who gets off at the same stop (if applicable).