How far do your kids walk to school?

[paintnolish]

We are moving to a new neighborhood 2 days before school starts and just found out there's no bus service to our house. I hadn't even thought about it because in my opinion, we're "far" from school. The transportation office says if you are within 1.5 miles, no bus service is offered. Mapquest and Google Maps say we are 1.55 miles. That seems like a long way for daily to and from walks, especially in IL weather. I am scrambling at this point because we don't know anyone in the new neighborhood, and there is no way dh or I can drive the kids to school. We leave 30 minutes before they start and get home 75 minutes after they get out. WWYD? And don't tell me I'm a helicopter parent because I don't want my daughter and 60 lb. 12 year old son walking 3+ miles a day and crossing a 4 lane road (there is a 4 way stop).

 

[powellrj]

My only suggestion would be to find out if there is before and after care at the school.

 

[trip]

The distance sounds normal. Is there a "pay to ride" bus service available? Or perhaps there is a before and after child care at the school. You could drop them off early and pick them up on the way home.

 

[Hannathy]

Ours is 2 miles for elementary and 2.5 or maybe 3 for Middle and High school.

You will either have to let them walk or change your work schedule or pay for before and after care. Your choice.

Personally I would let them walk, or ride their bikes. Especially at 12. That is what most kids do here that are further than a mile. Heck there are middle and high school kids in my neighborhood who have a mile walk from the bus stop.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I walked to elementary and middle school, and neither was more than 3 or 4 blocks. One mile each way isn't that bad. 1.5 is a bit much. My high school was 1.8 miles away. No way did I walk that.

Our two take the bus; the school is a little more than 4 miles away.

 

[Bonnie151]

We walk a mile each way. Some kids walk 1.5 miles. I personally think 1.5 miles is OK - not much FUN when it's chucking it down or the paths haven't been plowed, but manageable.

 

[Ginny Favers]

My children are still young, but we live about a mile and a half from our high school, and I know the children in our neighborhood are bused. If the district told me my kids had to walk there, I'd end up driving them. In my neighborhood, parents will even drive their kids down the street and wait with them at the bus stop. We live in a fairly safe area, but even so, we've had a few incidents where men have approached young people on the street.... frightening.

 

[njcarita]

we also dont have bus service in our town.............all my kids schools are about a mile and a half.............most schools have a breakfast club ( in our town $2 breakfast) and and after school program.................the older kids middle school kids usually walk over to local library and hang till parents pick up or just walk home......

 

[paintnolish]

We can't change our schedules; we're both teachers.
There is no before or after care in junior high, at least not at the school.

 

[mjkacmom]

My kids walk a 1/4 mile to the elementary school, and 1.7 miles to the JH/HS, starting at age 12 (I just mapquested it). It only takes them 15 - 20 minutes. Dd16 has had a zero period class since freshman year, so she walks in the dark. I'm home, but have never driven them. We have no buses - everyone either walks or gets a ride.

I don't know what other option you have.

 

[happygirl]

We can't change our schedules; we're both teachers.
There is no before or after care in junior high, at least not at the school.

I would see if your kids could go to school where you teach. I know here schools will waiver tution for students if there parents work for the school systems

You might have to find a daycare that picks up from the schools.

 

[Colleen27]

It was the same way where I grew up. There were no buses at all for middle or high school, and my house was about as far as you could get from the middle school and still be in the district (1.75 miles or so). I actually lived closer to the middle school of the next district over than to the one I was zone to attend. I walked or biked most of the time and got a ride with friends when the Michigan weather got too bad.

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Especially since you have two kids going to the same school, so they have a built-in walking buddy. Hopefully before winter hits they'll have made some friends in the new neighborhood and you can work something out for them to get a ride in inclement weather.

 

[shoney]

This is from our districts website:

Children within the district are transported between home and school in accordance with the following schedule:

Grades K-2: More than 1/4 mile

Grades 3-8: More than 1/2 mile

Grades 9-12: More than 1 mile


Luckily, we always get a bus!

That is a very far walk for a kid. I bet there are other parents who are driving their kids to school especially in bad weather. Maybe once you settle in to the new neighborhood, you will meet people your kids could carpool with.

Good Luck!

Also, did you call the school transportation office to confirm? I know our intermediate school is very close to the house, but using a cut through of private property (another school that is rented out). They only look at the distance from our house using proper streets to the front of the building, so we get a bus!

 

[marcyinPA]

Elementary school was a walking school- everyone lived in the neighborhood. But I think the rule in our district is more than one mile for elementary, and more than 2 miles for middle and high school. We live just under 2 miles from our HS- it is through the city and quite a hike- but we don't get bussed. I share carpooling with other parents.

 

[mjkacmom]

I would see if your kids could go to school where you teach. I know here schools will waiver tution for students if there parents work for the school systems

You might have to find a daycare that picks up from the schools.

Do daycares take kids in middle school? We have before/aftercare here, but it ends after 6th grade, and there are really only a handful of 6th graders still using it.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

We are moving to a new neighborhood 2 days before school starts and just found out there's no bus service to our house. I hadn't even thought about it because in my opinion, we're "far" from school. The transportation office says if you are within 1.5 miles, no bus service is offered. Mapquest and Google Maps say we are 1.55 miles. That seems like a long way for daily to and from walks, especially in IL weather. I am scrambling at this point because we don't know anyone in the new neighborhood, and there is no way dh or I can drive the kids to school. We leave 30 minutes before they start and get home 75 minutes after they get out. WWYD? And don't tell me I'm a helicopter parent because I don't want my daughter and 60 lb. 12 year old son walking 3+ miles a day and crossing a 4 lane road (there is a 4 way stop).

I would drive them in the morning - a 30 minute wait for school to start is not bad (plus if they were walking they would leave at that time anyway).

Then let them walk home.

 

[shoney]

You may also want to look into afterschool activities at the school.

Our official-pay-for-it, afterschool program ends at 5th grade.

6th grade is middle school.

The middle school has tons of after school clubs and sporting events that the kids stay after for. There are 2 late buses every day to encourage the kids to stay...one at 3:45 and another at 5pm.

Sometimes I think ds12 is just roaming the halls with his friends....LOL

Your son could go to one of those and then you could pick him up on your way home.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

There are no buses where I currently live - but the catchment area is pretty small geographically, so everyone is within close walking distance. Our nearest elementary school is right behind our house and there are three high schools (two public and one Catholic) within an easy walk.

However, where I grew up, the rule was 1 mile for elementary and high school. We were about 1.5 miles away and everyone took the bus. We were also in a semi-rural area, so almost everyone that I went to school with was bussed in. We did walk/bike in nice weather, but we lived in an area that was pretty wintery for 8 months of the year, so the buses were very heavily used.

 

[NotUrsula]

Most schools open the building (at least parts of it) at least 30 minutes before bell; otherwise it is tough to consult with a teacher before school.
I think you could probably take turns driving them in the am.

As to after, at that age as long as they are walking together it should not be bad, and they won't be the only kids on the street. When school lets out there are between 300-500 kids streaming through our neighborhood, so there is some safety in numbers at 3 pm. (It's a major bugbear around here because this is the home of the so-called Missouri Miracle. I like to point out that the boys involved in those incidents lived on VERY rural roads, and were grabbed after the school bus rolled away when there was not another human within sight. That is pretty much NEVER the case in our city neighborhood in daylight; there is always someone jogging or walking a dog, etc.)

As to my kids, DD is too young to walk yet (her preschool is 5 mi. away), but DS has been walking alone for going on 5 years now, since 6th grade. We got him a cheap prepaid cell phone to carry with him. Middle school was .75 mi, HS is 1.2 mi. DH or I drop him in the mornings because he is just NOT a morning person and would have a hard time getting out of the house in time to make the 7:45 bell if he walked, but he gets himself home. As his HS has a lot of walkers and bike commuters, the cafeteria is open for study hall and quiet socializing starting at 6:30 am.

PS: Though the middle school has no formal aftercare, there is a little underground economy of SAHP's who host afterschool time in their homes for older kids. No programming, just a place to hang out, do your homework or get in some playing until your parents can come pick you up. The money is strictly under-the-table, of course.

 

[StephMK]

Ugh, I know how you feel. We moved mid year and found that you have to pay for bus service, and it's not cheap. It's a huge hassle getting kids to/from jr/sr high. I know at DD's HS, many kids were just dropped off early and picked up late. Not ideal but the bus would have taken over an hour w/all stops.

Personally, I would knock on some neighbor's doors & get the scoop on what others do or call the school for advice. They should be able to give you an idea of the norm and maybe have suggestions for you. Good luck! My kids are similar ages/sizes & I would not be happy about it either. They could probably handle it but it'd be stressful on me wanting to make sure they get there safely.