Anonymous wrote:In PG if your child is within 1.5 miles of 2 (2 miles for older kids) they are expected to walk and a bus is not provided. I don't think even for k.

That doesn't mean you have to accept it. We lived too close for the bus,too, and so my child got dropped off by car. Who wants to risk it? Think of how you would feel if something bad happened?

In PG if your child is within 1.5 miles of 2 (2 miles for older kids) they are expected to walk and a bus is not provided. I don't think even for k.

OP if you're not comfortable, go with your gut. You'll worry every day if you don't.

Anonymous wrote:

That being said, the law in Maryland is that kids under 8 need to be with an adult, so even if I did think 5 was young enough I wouldn't be surprised if a neighbor called someone about a 5 year old walking home alone every day.

Interestingly, there's a law in MD that says kids can't be left in a home alone if they are under 8 years old, but there's no law in MD saying what age kids have to be before they walk around the block alone.

In FCPS they won't allow an older child to walk a kindergartener home from school, or an older sibling take them off of the bus (happens all the time at our stop - the bus driver lets the older one off but not the younger one until she sees the dad). Additionally, a bus driver has the right to keep a first grader (or any child for that matter) on the bus if he or she feels that it's not safe to leave them at the stop. We had a very conscientious bus driver choose NOT to leave my first grader at a stop when both I and the other mom that was usually at the stop wan'ts there one day. He would have to walk a block by himself and she felt it wasn't safe for him since he was so little. I was actually in my house, running a few minutes late, but since the other kid was sick, and mine would have been the only one getting off at the stop, and it was close enough to a major road to make her nervous about leaving him, she kept him on the bus. That was years ago, but I really appreciated her being so mindful.

I'm pretty laid back compared to most D.C. moms. But I wouldn't let a five year old walk home alone. I also wouldn't trust an eight year old to supervise. I met mine at the bus stop until about 2nd grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh hell no. If the bus is going to insist an adult be there, then the bus can damn well drive them to their houses.

Especially with kindergartners being like 8 and 9 years old these days, they really do NOT need to be met at the bus stop.

When I grew up this was the case - you were dropped off at your house. This doesn't happen anymore?

I grew up with the bus stop at the end of the street, but our route picked up kids at the end of driveways, too (although still usually a few houses worth). I see kids in town getting dropped off at the corner. I think they drop you off at your door in more rural areas.

I wouldn't have my kid walk alone. Not only for safety reasons on the block, but also emotional/social ones. First time in all-day school, after a bus ride, I'd want my kid to have a friendly face there to greet her. Who knows how the day went, I can remember many days in elementary school just white-knuckling it through the bus ride at the end of the day until I could be home. Five is still little!

That being said, the law in Maryland is that kids under 8 need to be with an adult, so even if I did think 5 was young enough I wouldn't be surprised if a neighbor called someone about a 5 year old walking home alone every day.

Anonymous wrote:Oh hell no. If the bus is going to insist an adult be there, then the bus can damn well drive them to their houses.

Especially with kindergartners being like 8 and 9 years old these days, they really do NOT need to be met at the bus stop.

When I grew up this was the case - you were dropped off at your house. This doesn't happen anymore?

As long as there was no crossing streets involved, I'd be perfectly comfortable with this, as long as your child felt comfortable.

Wow. By age 5, I had my DD walking the dog a block and a half on her own.

Also, something to consider is how many people are around. There are kids across the street from us, next door, and two doors down in the other direction. So my kids can walk home "alone" but will be around other kids all walking in the same direction.

I wouldn't even think about it until like 3d grade.

Mom of three who gets a little more liberal with each kid. No way in a million years would I let a kindergartner walk a block or a block and a half alone from the school bus and no way would I allow my older ES kid to be hired to walk someone else's kid home.

Anonymous wrote:hell no I wouldn't let him walk on his own.

+1

Let's say the bus did allow a K to get off alone (which I doubt) could you make a request for the bus stop to be changed. If not officially just ask the driver.

Our stop had to be changed by a block with a neighbor helping out and as I put in the paperwork the driver just did it.