AR - Mom charged after forcing 10-yr-old to walk 4.5 miles

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Sounds like a Mom at the end of her frustration tolerence level. He keeps getting himself suspended from the bus. I couldn't do it. But I have known other parents who have done it. And usually after the kid has to walk back and forth to school once or twice they start behaving on the bus.
 
I am pleased to see that the boy is taking personal responsibility for being kicked off the bus repeatedly.

Im not going to trash this mom too much. As a mom, Ive been at the end of my rope before, unsure of how to teach my children about reprecussions of bad choices.

That being said, I, myself personally, wouldn't have been able to let him walk alone. I would have probably followed at a distance as to not be seen, to make sure he was safe, but I'm a worrier :biggrin:

It is stated in the article that the mom advised him "not to stop walking or talk to anyone until he made it to school".
 
Lovejac said:
I am pleased to see that the boy is taking personal responsibility for being kicked off the bus repeatedly.

Im not going to trash this mom too much. As a mom, Ive been at the end of my rope before, unsure of how to teach my children about reprecussions of bad choices.

That being said, I, myself personally, wouldn't have been able to let him walk alone. I would have probably followed at a distance as to not be seen, to make sure he was safe, but I'm a worrier :biggrin:

It is stated in the article that the mom advised him "not to stop walking or talk to anyone until he made it to school".
Click to expand...

I actually give this mother some credit. The only thing she did wrong was not following him to make sure he was safe. Her punishment fit the crime. You act out and get kicked off the bus, well I guess you have to get to school on your own. The bus is a privilege. I bet he behaves on the bus now. I hope that the charges against her are dropped.
 
What is the crime here? I rode my bike to school alone at that age (in the 70's but still) and my dad was a cop.

The mom, it seems, is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. She is trying to force a consequence to his actions (you will have to find your own way to school if you get kicked off the bus), which is what a parent does. Almost 5 miles seems to be kinda far, but not child abuse?
 
I, too, can't blame the mother for trying to teach her son a lesson. He had been kicked off the bus multiple times for bad behavior. I agree that she should have followed him to ensure his safety. It seems like he has learned his lesson and will hopefully behave himself now that he has caused his mother so much trouble. I could never have tried this as my daughters school was 20+ miles away. We had no choice but to drive back and forth everyday. I still think the mother was right in her punishment, just not perfect in the execution. Hope the charges are dropped.
 
I don't see a crime here? Charges need to be dropped! Such a waste of time, money, and energy to charge her in the first place. Especially reading here and seeing what truely horrific things are happening to children right under the noses of DCF/LE/School Systems.
 
This is about an hour south of me, in the largest city in NE Arkansas. It is a college town also, around 75000 people. My daughter attends the University there. The area the boy was made to walk thru is a major road 6 lanes and would be highly congested at that time of day. No crosswalks, a bank and several shopping malls. The city has been trying to find a way to build another bypass to help with the traffic, very dangerous area.

I agree that she needed to teach him a lesson but I can see why she's been charged too.
 
JONESBORO, AR Hmmmmmmm I wonder if the walk is any more dangerous then the school.

Some irony there when you think about what the town is famous for.

Westside School Shooting

In the early afternoon of March 24, 1998, two students from Westside Middle School, located approximately two miles west of Jonesboro (Craighead County), conducted an armed ambush on teachers and students, which resulted in five dead and ten others injured. The shooters, Andrew Golden and Mitchell Johnson, were arrested and prosecuted for the crime. The incident was one of two school shootings in Arkansas and one of several school shootings across the nation that adjusted school administrators’ and law enforcement officers’ concepts on school security and response plans to violent incidents at schools.

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryid=3717
 
Dr.Fessel said:
JONESBORO, AR Hmmmmmmm I wonder if the walk is any more dangerous then the school.

Some irony there when you think about what the town is famous for.

Westside School Shooting

In the early afternoon of March 24, 1998, two students from Westside Middle School, located approximately two miles west of Jonesboro (Craighead County), conducted an armed ambush on teachers and students, which resulted in five dead and ten others injured. The shooters, Andrew Golden and Mitchell Johnson, were arrested and prosecuted for the crime. The incident was one of two school shootings in Arkansas and one of several school shootings across the nation that adjusted school administrators’ and law enforcement officers’ concepts on school security and response plans to violent incidents at schools.

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryid=3717
Click to expand...

Yes Jonesboro is known for the above. The crime rate in Jonesboro is low and the schools are safe. In this case the traffic is the problem, not guns.
 
I also would like to know, what would the officers do if this was their child?

This appears to me to be a "natural consequence."
You miss the bus, you walk to school.
You get into the treats, you don't get desert.
You don't pick up your toys, I take them away.

This is all very odd to me... because in MY area the police won't stop a 3 year old walking down the street alone even if you CALL them.
As long as they are able to walk and not crawl and they stay out of the (middle of the) road, they are on their own.

So is it illegal to walk to school in this area? Do people just watch for kids walking?
Is there is law that says kids cannot cross if the road is a certain size? Is this told to parents at the beginning of the year?

http://www.kait8.com/story/16945922...ear-old-to-walk-45-miles-to-school?hpt=ju_bn5

His mother sent him to school on foot Monday as punishment for the repeated suspensions.
He only made it a few blocks before he was picked up by police.
 
MsFacetious said:
I also would like to know, what would the officers do if this was their child?

This appears to me to be a "natural consequence."
You miss the bus, you walk to school.
You get into the treats, you don't get desert.
You don't pick up your toys, I take them away.

This is all very odd to me... because in MY area the police won't stop a 3 year old walking down the street alone even if you CALL them.
As long as they are able to walk and not crawl and they stay out of the (middle of the) road, they are on their own.

So is it illegal to walk to school in this area? Do people just watch for kids walking?
Is there is law that says kids cannot cross if the road is a certain size? Is this told to parents at the beginning of the year?

http://www.kait8.com/story/16945922...ear-old-to-walk-45-miles-to-school?hpt=ju_bn5

His mother sent him to school on foot Monday as punishment for the repeated suspensions.
He only made it a few blocks before he was picked up by police.
Click to expand...

At ten years old, I was probably walking, running, biking a minimum of ten miles a day! I'm not that old so the dangers today are the same as they were when I was growing up.

I had to walk to school (Middle and High School) and had to cross major intersections? That's what the crosswalks are for! If you use them properly and you don't have to dodge idiot drives, you'll be fine. But those same dangers lie with any adult walking or riding their bike?

This mother shouldn't have to rearrange her schedule and possibly lose her job just because her kid can't behave on the bus! I don't know this for sure, but she is probably a single mother doing the best she can do without a man in the house. Walking never killed anyone! The boy probably was getting more exercise in that one day than he had in a whole year!
 
I read nearly every day about pedestrians killed so depending on whether the child had to cross any major roads making this child walk to school could be very dangerous indeed.
 
kseal07 said:
This is about an hour south of me, in the largest city in NE Arkansas. It is a college town also, around 75000 people. My daughter attends the University there. The area the boy was made to walk thru is a major road 6 lanes and would be highly congested at that time of day. No crosswalks, a bank and several shopping malls. The city has been trying to find a way to build another bypass to help with the traffic, very dangerous area.

I agree that she needed to teach him a lesson but I can see why she's been charged too.
Click to expand...

That does put a different light on it for me. Natural consequences are great, but being run over by a car isn't a natural consequence of misbehaving on the bus. Following her child wouldn't keep him safe from traffic. Maybe she should drive him and make him work for the "cab fare."
 
The irony of all this is that I'm sure there are Jonesboro residents saying, "What's the big deal? I walked that far to school every day!" Of course that was back when there wasn't nearly as much traffic.

I think this was an effective method of getting the point across (the bus is a privilege) had the mom followed the child, getting out to help him across the busy intersections. I also think there are times when we need to revert to "Andy Taylor" justice: just go talk to the momma and explain why this wasn't such a great idea as implemented. And then have a word or two with the boy.
 
STEADFAST said:
That does put a different light on it for me. Natural consequences are great, but being run over by a car isn't a natural consequence of misbehaving on the bus. Following her child wouldn't keep him safe from traffic. Maybe she should drive him and make him work for the "cab fare."
Click to expand...

What if mom doesn't have a car? What if mom can not afford the extra gas money because she is living paycheck to paycheck to support herself and his misbehaving behind? Sounds like he has learned his lesson now that he's gotten his momma in trouble for simply raising him and holding him accountable. I still think the charges should be dropped? I actually don't think charges should have ever been pressed? I'm standing behind mom with this one. Same way I stood behind dad blasting his daughters computer with a gun.
 
LolaMoon08 said:
What if mom doesn't have a car? What if mom can not afford the extra gas money because she is living paycheck to paycheck to support herself and his misbehaving behind? Sounds like he has learned his lesson now that he's gotten his momma in trouble for simply raising him and holding him accountable. I still think the charges should be dropped? I actually don't think charges should have ever been pressed? I'm standing behind mom with this one. Same way I stood behind dad blasting his daughters computer with a gun.
Click to expand...

Well, his mom was sitting at home on vacation from work, so she can at least afford to take vacation days.

I don't see how he got his mom in trouble; he was going about his consequence when a bank guard called the police as he crossed their parking lot. I think the mom did not use common sense and was neglectful to send her child out there into such a dangerous situation. She could have given the situation more thought and taught him a lesson without endangering him. Sounds to me like she just did the easiest thing. "Oh, you can't take the bus? Fine. Walk. As long as I don't have to bother doing anything."
 
my_tee_mouse said:
I think this was an effective method of getting the point across (the bus is a privilege) had the mom followed the child, getting out to help him across the busy intersections. I also think there are times when we need to revert to "Andy Taylor" justice: just go talk to the momma and explain why this wasn't such a great idea as implemented. And then have a word or two with the boy.
Click to expand...

I think the mom did the best she could at the time. I probably would have thought to do something similar, but only if it wasn't a high traffic area. It's not the distance I'd have a problem with, but the traffic and possibility of a stranger abduction. At least she attempted to do something to teach him a lesson. I think the "Andy Taylor" approach would be best at this point. Our courts have more serious issues to deal with.
 
STEADFAST said:
Well, his mom was sitting at home on vacation from work, so she can at least afford to take vacation days.

I don't see how he got his mom in trouble; he was going about his consequence when a bank guard called the police as he crossed their parking lot. I think the mom did not use common sense and was neglectful to send her child out there into such a dangerous situation. She could have given the situation more thought and taught him a lesson without endangering him. Sounds to me like she just did the easiest thing. "Oh, you can't take the bus? Fine. Walk. As long as I don't have to bother doing anything."
Click to expand...

This was the 5TH time he had been suspended from the bus.

I am guessing she DID something different the first 4 times.
Maybe drove him and made him do extra chores.
Maybe took away toys or electronic time.
Maybe kept him from playing with friends.
Maybe made him stay in his room.

I know a few parents just would have beat the kid senseless after the first time and the next few times wouldn't have happened.

But, what if she ran out of other consequences and did not want to beat her child?

What if Mom had mandated PAID days off she had to take, or she would lose them? (Like they expire.)

What if this was the child's last chance and the next time he got suspended, it was final? So he would have to walk to school?

What if Mom normally does go to work just before the child goes to school and would not be able to take him every single day?

I would really like to hear, what the OFFICERS would have this mother do after the first 4 suspensions.
Because when a 20 year old young man has a rap sheet, people look back and say "he was already in trouble at 10 years old... why didn't his parents do something THEN?"

So WHAT is it that this mother was supposed to do?
 
LolaMoon08 said:
What if mom doesn't have a car? What if mom can not afford the extra gas money because she is living paycheck to paycheck to support herself and his misbehaving behind? Sounds like he has learned his lesson now that he's gotten his momma in trouble for simply raising him and holding him accountable. I still think the charges should be dropped? I actually don't think charges should have ever been pressed? I'm standing behind mom with this one. Same way I stood behind dad blasting his daughters computer with a gun.
Click to expand...

I don't know what she is supposed to do but send the child alone when there is busy traffic isn't one of the things she should be choosing from. And I certainly ain't going to support blasting a computer with a gun either.
 
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