I've been meditating about this walking to and from school situation and all of the conflicting reports.
I'll probably get flamed on my comments, but oh well.
These children were 2 seven year olds and a 10 year old. Apparently, the 7 year olds were in first grade. That is really, really young. Really young.
These are not adults that have varied schedules because their jobs have variation in them, due to circumstances, like my job is. It would be hard to predict my day, but yet I do have some parameters that I try to stay within.
Apparently, these young children had no parameters. It's not predictable who would pick them up. It's not predictable how they are supposed to walk home. It's not predictable when they should be home by. It appears that no adult had a clue about the schedule of these children and who is responsible for them. Not one story meshes with the next about little ST and her life, except that she was overly friendly.
That is the only consistent thing. Do any of you out there think that you wouldn't have a clue about what your 7 year old child is up to, and how she gets home from school?
What did little ST do all summer? Was she making new friendships? Seriously, this is so bizarre to me. She hates the outdoors, yet she loves pools and tree houses. She is out wandering the neighborhood. She is at others homes, and it sounds like it wasn't always welcome. She loves riding her scooter.
It sounds like the children were in charge of their own lives.