Kids in the slug line at 234

As far as I know (having kids of my own and having tried to research this in the recent past when deciding when to leave my kids alone), Fairfax County has GUIDELINES (not the law) about when children can be left alone, in day time hours, nighttime hours, etc.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/childrenyouth/supervision_eng.htm
When I was trying to figure out the law for Stafford County for my own kids, I found there were NO actual LAWS about when to leave children alone, and was told to follow Fairfax County guidelines . In these guidelines, you will see that parents have to make their own minds up. For all we know, the children in question may be following all the requirements for safety. I certainly wouldnt let my 10-year old slug at 5:00 a.m., but I am pretty sure she would be capable of doing it as long as she had a phone in her possession and strict instructions as to what to do in case of an emergency, and I showed her how to do it. We all make executive decisions when we get into a strangers car. I make an executive decision when allowing my kid to wait on the street for a bus. Are you going to report me for that? She has instructions as to what to do in case of a deviant approaching her or an emergency.
So, based on these GUIDELINES, and the fact that the kids havent been run over or similar, it would appear to me that these kids are probably capable of doing what they need to do to get to school, thus the parents appear to be making the right decisions for THEIR children. As far as what a ten-year-old looks like, who knows. One mans 10-year-old is another mans 14-year old. My 14-year old looks 18, and my 10-year-old looks 12. So, we dont know for sure how old these kids are, but what they are doing does not appear to be against the law.
I do find, as a European who has wandered around the streets of London alone at age 12 without a cell phone (a long, long time ago), and as a child who played out all day in the fields until dusk (around the time of the Moors Murderers , no less (look it up)), that Americans can be slight worry warts when it comes to kids safety. I am surprised by the number of parents who do not let their child play outside. Why? Because of the one in a million chance (and its a pretty small chance) that they might get abducted. The statistics are in favor of these kids who are slugging being fine for the duration, mostly because the majority of people are kind and will help them and not hinder them, and the kids probably have some rules that they have to follow that their parents set.
Whether these kids are breaking the law by attending a school outside of their home district, thats another question and, frankly, none of my business or anyone elses unless you happen to be paying Fairfax county taxes. It's certainly not abuse or neglect. I dont know whether being a mandated reporter means that you have to report them going to the wrong school. I dont know anything about that subject. But, unless the kids are behaving in an unsafe manner (running across the road without looking, for example), then it is my unofficial opinion that they should be left alone.
Lastly, I looked up the VA definition of a mandated reporter as it pertains to children.

http://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/dfs/cps/intro_page/mandated_reporters/resources_guidance/booklet.pdf
it basically says that if you suspect a child of neglect or abuse you need to report it. Sounds quite fair, except there is nothing in what you have said that gives an indication that these children are being abused or neglected. Given extra responsibility to get to school, yes, but they are not crying, bruised, hungry and stealing food, fighting, or anything that we can really see based on your description that would indicate that they are abused or neglected. So I dont believe that your definition of a mandated reporter in this case is valid and I would let it go now. You have done your best, and that is all that matters.

Hopefully, this helps the discussion. I have tried to be informative and respectful.

The only issues are the ones that you are creating in your own "mandated" mind. I did look up what a "Mandated Reporter" is and I still stick by my everything I have said. You have issues and need to get a life.

Leanansidhe - you really need to get a life (preferably one that involves your business).

OMG....give it a rest. This is a forum about "slugging" not the "Life Story of people who slug". Leanansidhe information is inaccurate to say the least. Please stop speculating about why these young people are slugging. So what, they get up early..... I slug because it is a cost effective method of getting back and forth to work. The omniride bus is approximately $7 one way without a smarttrip card, $5.35 one way with a Smarttrip card. Express Buses out of the Pentagon are $3.65, Omnilink local Bus One Way is $1.20. So a roundtrip fare is approximately $21.40 - 23.70 depending on whether they have smarttrip cards or not. 4 - 5 people and that's pretty pricey per day / week. I would opt to slug.

NO ONE has to give them a ride if they don't want to just as they don't have to get into someones car if they are uncomfortable. They seem to be getting back and forth to wherever they are going just fine. I would be concerned - VERY CONCERNED - by a 10 year old being left to slug and would immediately call the police but because NO ONE else is confirming that this actually happened, again I question the accuracy of what Leanansidhe is posting. I hope that their situation whatever it may be improves and things get easier for them. I wish them all the best and I support their efforts to continue to get to school/work or wherever they are headed.

SLUGGING is supposedly one of the safest ways to move about and has been relatively incident free.

quote:

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Originally posted by Pele
Who cares if they're too good or not to ride the bus.

Egos and images are not at stake here. It's the safety of the kids that's the important matter.

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I guess it was important to the original poster - important enough to specifically mention it, at least.

Just as I don't believe the kids think they are "too good" I also don't think there is necessarily as much risk as some others seem to believe. There doesn't seem to be a good consistent description of how old these kids really are, so they may be older and more wordly than is being portrayed. I don't know - maybe there is a problem there or maybe not. If I believed that there were 10-year olds left on the slug line by themselves I would be as concerned as anyone else. I guess I should characterize my feeling as "skeptical" rather than "unconcerned."

The hysteria about them leaving their neighborhood with their 20 year old siblings, and thus having no hope of receiving life-saving medical attention should they require it, is just nonsensical - the so-called risk of that is the same whether they are slugging or riding in a car driven by their big brother.