Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These days, all children should be bused for safety reasons. good Lord - a violent child rapist lives right in front of the elementary school in our neighborhood. And autistic kids go there and other special needs children - god forbid they have to walk home past his house alone.

OP here. I agree with this (obviously.) So many of the buses at our school pull into the loop 1/2 empty, and drive right by my street on the way. Would it be so hard to make a few extra stops? I also think its in the interest of equity. If its the parents responsibility to get their kids to school, then it should be for ALL parents. If its the schools responsibility (buses) then it should be for all.

So based on your logic, a kid who lives across the street from the school should have a bus available to to take the child to school.

In Japan, 5 year olds go to school without adult accompaniment on subways. How does this happen? The community is invested in the safety of all children. Perhaps this is where you need to put your energy. You have decided that the walk to your child's school isn't safe, even though there are sidewalks the entire way. You claim the cars go too fast. I'm not sure what this "tunnel" you refer to is all about. Instead of making the school system cater to you, what are you doing to organize parents in your neighborhood to take turns walking with the kids to school. Or work with VDOT for traffic calming measures.

I am Japanese and have lived in Japan.

Japan is a very, very different society from the US and very, very monolithic. You cannot compare the experience of Japanese schoolchildren to the experience of American schoolchildren.

The countries are just too different.

+1 I have lived there as well and could not have stated it better.

Anonymous wrote:Walking school bus?
http://www.walkingschoolbus.org/

My neighborhood has this. It is pretty great. Adults take turns walking the kids home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These days, all children should be bused for safety reasons. good Lord - a violent child rapist lives right in front of the elementary school in our neighborhood. And autistic kids go there and other special needs children - god forbid they have to walk home past his house alone.

OP here. I agree with this (obviously.) So many of the buses at our school pull into the loop 1/2 empty, and drive right by my street on the way. Would it be so hard to make a few extra stops? I also think its in the interest of equity. If its the parents responsibility to get their kids to school, then it should be for ALL parents. If its the schools responsibility (buses) then it should be for all.

So based on your logic, a kid who lives across the street from the school should have a bus available to to take the child to school.

In Japan, 5 year olds go to school without adult accompaniment on subways. How does this happen? The community is invested in the safety of all children. Perhaps this is where you need to put your energy. You have decided that the walk to your child's school isn't safe, even though there are sidewalks the entire way. You claim the cars go too fast. I'm not sure what this "tunnel" you refer to is all about. Instead of making the school system cater to you, what are you doing to organize parents in your neighborhood to take turns walking with the kids to school. Or work with VDOT for traffic calming measures.

I am Japanese and have lived in Japan.

Japan is a very, very different society from the US and very, very monolithic. You cannot compare the experience of Japanese schoolchildren to the experience of American schoolchildren.

The countries are just too different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These days, all children should be bused for safety reasons. good Lord - a violent child rapist lives right in front of the elementary school in our neighborhood. And autistic kids go there and other special needs children - god forbid they have to walk home past his house alone.

OP here. I agree with this (obviously.) So many of the buses at our school pull into the loop 1/2 empty, and drive right by my street on the way. Would it be so hard to make a few extra stops? I also think its in the interest of equity. If its the parents responsibility to get their kids to school, then it should be for ALL parents. If its the schools responsibility (buses) then it should be for all.

So based on your logic, a kid who lives across the street from the school should have a bus available to to take the child to school.

In Japan, 5 year olds go to school without adult accompaniment on subways. How does this happen? The community is invested in the safety of all children. Perhaps this is where you need to put your energy. You have decided that the walk to your child's school isn't safe, even though there are sidewalks the entire way. You claim the cars go too fast. I'm not sure what this "tunnel" you refer to is all about. Instead of making the school system cater to you, what are you doing to organize parents in your neighborhood to take turns walking with the kids to school. Or work with VDOT for traffic calming measures.

Yes, 18:35, that's our K&R system and it works very smoothly.

What do you mean, "these days"? Do you really think pedophiles and child rapists are some kind of modern phenomenon?

Yes. My mom said someone tried to pick her up in the 1920's. She was about ten years old--she said she "just knew" not to --no one had ever warned her.

A tag system is where every family gets a numbered car tag and a corresponding backpack tag(s) for each kid. You stick your tag on the reaview mirror. As the cars pull around to the K&R lane, someone with a walkie talkie radios the numbers to someone in the cafeteria, where all the K& R kids are waitng. They stand at the very end of the sidewalk,about 6-7 cars back. The person in the cafeteria calls out the numbers and a student patrol member writes the numbers in order on a chalkboard.

The kids line up in order of the numbers called. As their car pulls up they match the numbers and the kids get in the cars. They load about five cars at one time. Additional patrol members stand at the kindergarten and first grade tables to make sure the kids hear their numbers. The afterschool program kids sit by program, with separate tables for kindercare, karate, etc.

The whole process is very fast and efficient. Even when the weather is bad once the line starts it takes very little time to get through everyone.

If your school does not have such a system they need to institute one .

Anonymous wrote:Oh, quit your bitching. It won't kill you to walk your kid to school if you're so uncomfortable. Put the toddler in a stroller. We walked our oldest to school until we met some other kids walking. Then, DS walked to the corner and waited for the other kids and they go together. If it's raining, we'll drive. By the time my oldest was in 3rd grade, he, my 1st grader and my kindergartener were walking by themselves. It's highly unlikely pedophiles or perverts will grab them. There are a lot of people going to school and anyone that looks odd gets reported. The kids also know not to talk to anyone they don't know.

And, its good exercise for you and for the kids.

+1

Oh, quit your bitching. It won't kill you to walk your kid to school if you're so uncomfortable. Put the toddler in a stroller. We walked our oldest to school until we met some other kids walking. Then, DS walked to the corner and waited for the other kids and they go together. If it's raining, we'll drive. By the time my oldest was in 3rd grade, he, my 1st grader and my kindergartener were walking by themselves. It's highly unlikely pedophiles or perverts will grab them. There are a lot of people going to school and anyone that looks odd gets reported. The kids also know not to talk to anyone they don't know.

And, its good exercise for you and for the kids.

Anonymous wrote:These days, all children should be bused for safety reasons. good Lord - a violent child rapist lives right in front of the elementary school in our neighborhood. And autistic kids go there and other special needs children - god forbid they have to walk home past his house alone.

What do you mean, "these days"? Do you really think pedophiles and child rapists are some kind of modern phenomenon?

Anonymous wrote:These days, all children should be bused for safety reasons. good Lord - a violent child rapist lives right in front of the elementary school in our neighborhood. And autistic kids go there and other special needs children - god forbid they have to walk home past his house alone.

OP here. I agree with this (obviously.) So many of the buses at our school pull into the loop 1/2 empty, and drive right by my street on the way. Would it be so hard to make a few extra stops? I also think its in the interest of equity. If its the parents responsibility to get their kids to school, then it should be for ALL parents. If its the schools responsibility (buses) then it should be for all.

These days, all children should be bused for safety reasons. good Lord - a violent child rapist lives right in front of the elementary school in our neighborhood. And autistic kids go there and other special needs children - god forbid they have to walk home past his house alone.

Walking school bus?
http://www.walkingschoolbus.org/

I think a lot depends on the neighborhood and how many other kids are walking. In my neighborhood, there are lots of kids that walk--lots of moms walk with them. If it is an older neighborhood with fewer kids, that would be different.

Our FCPS school says that walkers can walk by themselves from 1st grade and up. It's ridiculous because we are .9 miles aways and have to cross a number of streets, some very busy, to get to school and there are no sidewalks on 2 of the 4 streets we would walk on to get there. I drive them both ways each day.