Posted on 01/20/2005 4:49:01 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
SYRACUSE NY--When Lynnee Westbrook thinks about what her son went through her eyes well up. She says her two children take the school bus everyday, so she can't understand why the vice principal at McKinley Brighton told her 5-year-old son to walk home.
Under school policy, students must live more than a mile and a half to be bused. School spokesperson Neil Driscoll says Kevin is listed as a walker and lives on Newell Street, a block away from the school. Westbrook says they actually live on West Brighton Avenue and she doesn't know how the school got that information. She says her son walked several blocks to his daycare, where he gets dropped off after school.
"My baby who is 5-years-old who never walked anywhere a day in his life has to cross over major intersections to get to school to daycare. I felt that was very unacceptable," Westbrook said.
Westbrook says when she contacted the school, the vice principal had no knowledge of her child and said her son may have gotten confused with another conversation she was having with an older student.
"What's the need for him to walk? Why wasn't I informed? If he if missed his bus or whatever, you know that was my point. Nobody contacted me or they didn't contact emergency contact," Westbrook said.
"It was cold and my stuff was falling down, and I had to put my gloves in my book bag. I put my hands in my pocket," said Kevin Jennings, 5-year-old forced to walk home.
Kevin's mom says she wants to get to the bottom of what went wrong. Westbrook says she plans to get to the bottom of this during a meeting with the vice principal of the school Thursday.
Excuse me. You are the one who starting calling me names. Yes, I take that personal. When people don't agree with the person who started this thread they started attacking them. Some of us happen to have different opinions but some people can't take that. You included.
No. However, most child abductions occur in this day in age because a non-custodial parent abducts the child.
When I was five years old, there were less divorces, therefore, less non-custodial parents, therefore less child abductions.
"A remark only made by the anti-family, anti-Christian, militant secular gay liberal DU establishment."
"A remark only made by a dumb*ss who doesn't have a clue who I am. I am a Christian conservative, if that is any of your business. Where you got that I have no clue except that you should stick to your day job."
A second group hug for attention deprived kcvl.
XOXOXO ;)
OF COURSE NOT. But, I sure as hell wouldn't leave it to someone I didn't know or didn't care.
Did you have shoes? I didn't, just rags I wrapped around my feet while trudging my lonely way through the forest to get to a one-room school house clutching my lunch sack full of lard sandwichs.
LOL!
How many are injured?
You're right ... the school obviously needs to correct its procedures. Even if the boy was (just speculating) dawdling and missed his daycare van and decided to walk, some adult should have noticed.
No, that is not what I said and you know it. Nice try.
I'm not sure they're human.
>Actually it's not that different a world and that stuff happened in the "good old days" too. It just gets more publicity now.
And kidnapping by strangers is still incredibly rare. <
Today, the danger from busy roads has increased exponentially in all parts of the country. Even if young kids are allowed to walk, usually they are accompanied by older kids. Five year old children have no business walking by themselves, and someone's head should roll over this situation.
And I teach my toddlers to never drink and drive...you know that grade school kids aren't mature enough to know when they've had too many whisky sours so I just prohibit them from driving after drinking.
Better to be safe than sorry, right?
I did that same thing - I missed my stop and ended up hiding in the back seat of the bus until the driver parked it back at my school. I cried, the driver gave me a cookie and dropped me off at my house on his way home.
I was in a Catholic school and the driver knew my parents.
No one ever acted like it was anyone else's fault but mine. I realized that I had better be ready to get off when the bus stopped at my corner, which was one of the first stops on the route, and not get distracted talking to other kids.
My parents told me to pay attention, I did, and nothing further happened. It wasn't the school's fault, or the driver's fault, it was my fault. (And I'm not scared of buses, either.)
However, if the school had forced me to walk home alone, my very reasonable parents would have raised pure hell.
But, if I were the adopt the "could have happened" mindset of the mother in the article I might say "but what if she had been asleep...what if the driver hadn't found her and she woke up alone and lost...?"
My point is, simply, don't panic, or call in the press, over an incident where the harm didn't actually occur ESPECIALLY before you even sit down and meet with the school officials.
If you tell your kid to be upset, like this mother did, all that you accomplish is upsetting your kid.
Not in this day and time. I walked or rode my bike to school as well when I was a kid (but much older than 5!), but no way either of my daughters will ever do anything like that. Go to your state's sex offender registry and type in your zip code, then tell me it's not a big deal.
I didn't need your attention, that's for sure, from a so-called Christian.
To: kcvl
"Especially, "soccer moms" with a cell phone in one hand and a cig in the other."
A remark only made by the anti-family, anti-Christian, militant secular gay liberal DU establishment.
128 posted on 01/20/2005 5:58:19 AM PST by SunnySide (Ephes2:8 ByGraceYou'veBeenSavedThruFaithAGiftOfGodSoNoOneCanBoast)
When we were younguns 5 year olds were home with Mommy. This is not safe for a large town like Syracuse and dubious at best for a small town like the one I grew up in.
There are predators about and they won't let us kill 'em.
LOL
Can we say, "over-indulgent mother?"
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