Letting kids walk home from school...

[kdryan]

Hi guys, sorry it's been so long since I posted, but we just finished our move to Indiana and things have been crazy enough to keep my VERY busy... So we found ourselves a nice little house in one of the better, quiet, middle class neighborhoods of Fort Wayne and have been settling in. We still have boxes everywhere and are unpacking everything. My garage is a nightmare, and that is usually NOT the case, I assure you.

We are about 9 houses away from the squirts school. It's one of the main reasons we chose this place. It's close to shopping, a mall is less than a mile away, as is a Wal-Mart and tons more shopping, but close to the school was the clincher for us. We went to Open House and met the teacher last night, he seems cool enough. The staff was great, the school was well equipped, and everything looked hunky dory. The squirts walked with mom to school this morning and had a blast.

Then I went to pick them up a while ago.

I walked to the front of the building and asked where the walkers were and was promptly told they had all left. These people let my 8 year old twins walk home from school unsupervised on their first day. The principal and I walked around looking for them, their teacher apologized and said he said because we said they would be walking home that it was ok to release them on their own. The principal then told me to give her a call if I couldn't find them and they'd get some cars out looking for them. I found them outside on the way home sitting by a tree trying to figure out where home was and we went home.

So am I wrong to be upset about this? I consider this a serious lapse in judgment on the part of the school and the teacher especially. I just feel it's common sense not to let an 8 year old walk off, much less two. Who knows what might have happened?

Kevin

[NancyM]

Absolutely not! That must have been so frightening for you.

I never let my son walk home. I know many people don't agree.

I just felt there were 3 driving adults in our home at that time, and no reason why he should. Sometimes he had to wait in an afterschool program for someone to pick him up, or had to get to school earlier, but I felt it was better than him walking alone.

If the school let him go without my knowing, I'd be upset like you were.

[1mom.4kids]

I may be reading this wrong but if you told the teacher they would be walking home then he was right to release them. I have worked in several elementary schools over the years and they have all had 3 methods to transport kids home...different names but same type of system, Walkers, Parent Pickup and bus. Walkers normally don't have a parent that greets them on the school property otherwise they are classified as parent pickup. Walkers are escorted safely off school property and it is assumed that the parents meet the child half way.

At our school walkers are released at the same time everyday. (Normally the first ones to be released.) I do not think that in elementary school it should be acceptable for children to be classified as walkers and ALL elementary school children should have to be picked up by an adult. Your question was if this was a serious lapse in judgment of the school and I am going to have to say not the individual school but the system that has been set up that states it is acceptable for elementary age children to walk home unescorted.

I am glad you found your kids and that they were safe. I would speak to the school first thing in the morning and make sure they understand that your kids are parent pick up and they are not to be released until you show up.

[Xero]

I agree with 1mom.4kids. I think it was a misunderstanding. I don't think any elementary school aged kids are old enough to walk home, but if you told the school they were walkers, then they just followed the usual method of letting the kids out as walkers. If you didn't specify to them that you or your wife would be picking them up, then they wouldn't be expecting you. I think all that needs done here is a little clearing up.

[mom2many]

I also agree with 1m4k, while I would have been a little peeved it does sound like an honest mistake...I would also let the walk home if I lived that close, I walked a few miles at that age in LA, Ca.

[superman]

u gotta point i'd be pretty pissed bout that to. its irresponsible the least they coulda done was let them wait in the office or somethin.

[singledad]

I'd say it all depends on whether or not the teacher was aware that you were coming to fetch them, or even if she knew that they are new in the nieghbourhood. So while I perfectly understand your anxiety and would probably also be severely peeved if it happened to my daughter, I have to agree with the posters who said it may be an honest mistake.

I'd just make it clear to the school that you are coming to pick them up, and that they shouldn't be released on their own again.

[stjohnjulie]

Yup, I agree with everyone. There was probably some miscommunication going on and the school made an honest mistake. I would talk to the school this morning and make your wishes clear. Also have a talk with the kiddos and tell them what they are to do. If one of them had spoken up and said, "No, I'm supposed to wait here for my mom or dad." They probably would have been at the school waiting for you. Good thing they are both ok and you can chalk this one up to lesson learned!

When I was a kiddo, I too lived in a neighborhood right by an elementary school. We had huge amounts of "walkers" from the school. I was walking to and from school (a mile! but it wasn't uphill both directions and it didn't snow every day ) when I was their age with my brother and sister...but I know times have changed.

[Jeremy+3]

Well, if you said they were walking home, the school is going to let them walk home, us teachers aren't mind readers, even though that would be very handy.

In the GB you just let all the kids loose at 3:30 after the first week.

[IADad]

I think in general, if they were designated to be walking then the teacher was right to release them to walk. Our school's walkers meet up with parents or older siblings etc, but pretty much if you've told the school they'll be walking, I think they assume you've figured out what's going to happen once they hit the door. Now, it's not to say that your experience wasn't scary and maybe they could have taken a few extra steps with your kids since they knew they were new (like asking them if they were to meet up with anyone, asking them if they knew their route home etc.) that would have been pretty smart on their part, but I don't think they really did anything "wrong."