7 year old Somer Thompson''s body found

[vespergirl]

This is such a disgusting tragedy. Why are there so many criminals in FL? I have lived all up & down the east coast, and I lived in FL for 3 years. For some reason, that state attracts a lot of ex-cons, and other shady types. I hated it there. I read today that there were something like 75 registered sex offenders living within 5 miles of her home.

When I was living in FL, I was 2 blocks from a public elementary school. I received a notice in my mailbox from the police stating that a sex offender was being released from jail, and moving into our neighborhood - exactly one block from the elementary school. I immediately called the police to alert them, but any parole officer worth their salt would have been able to see the school from his house, if they bothered to check it out.

The other thing is, I can''t believe this 7 year old was allowed to walk one mile home from school unsupervised, even if she was with her siblings (two other young children). She walked away from the other kids, and they weren''t able to stop her from going off on her own - other children aren''t babysitters. In my neighborhood, the parents wait outside with their kids at the bus stop, and pick them up there, even if it is directly in front of their homes. And I live in an extremely low-crime area. Unfortunately, times have changed, and small children that age should NEVER be unsupervised, especially on a one-mile walk.

 

[Ara Ann]

How sad and tragic...but yes, things happen to children when adults fail them.


And I agree about Florida... My parents retired years ago and have their winter home there...they told me long ago it is NOT the place to raise children.

 

[dragonfly411]

This has been devastating for those of us who live in Florida. We are all a) outraged, and want to hunt this person down and b) saddened to see another child lost.

I don''t agree with blaming parents though. One mile really isn''t very far and in our town there are children 7-10 that walk together in groups, and even siblings that they meet from middle school (they go wait at the middle school for them) that all walk and ride bikes home. Unfortunately this world is not a safe place anymore.

 

[ladyciel]

This is definitely a tragic event, and my heart goes out to her family. I actually lived in Orange Park for a couple of years at the end of high school before leaving for college, and my parents still live there. I do remember that students living within 1-2 miles of their school didn't even have the OPTION of riding the bus. Here, I just found the bus transportation FAQ for Clay County schools (where OP is located): http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/PDF/FAQ_Who_Rides_Bus.pdf. It's state law that districts are only required to provide buses to students over 2 miles away in walking distance. Clay is generous and serves anyone over 1.5 miles.

Looking at that document, I don't think it's different for the younger ages, either. My favorite quote from the FAQ:

My work schedule won't let me drive or walk with my child to and from school. There is dangerous
traffic along the route and, to make matters worse, I have heard that my child would have to walk by
a sexual predator's house. What should I do?
Sometimes family-friendly employers will provide flexible working schedules to parents who explain to them
that they have to drive their children to school. If that doesn't work, there are various other options you may
want to explore, such as carpooling with trusted neighbors or other parents or organizing a parent-led walking
group.

Now, this doesn't excuse the kids walking by themselves, but it certainly sheds light on why it's probably a more common occurrence than we'd hope.

ETA: My mom, who is local, heard through the grapevine that the cops think they caught the guy, but they haven't made it public yet. Here's hoping that's true.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 10/23/2009 2:34:20 PM
Author: ladyciel
This is definitely a tragic event, and my heart goes out to her family. I actually lived in Orange Park for a couple of years at the end of high school before leaving for college, and my parents still live there. I do remember that students living within 1-2 miles of their school didn''t even have the OPTION of riding the bus. Here, I just found the bus transportation FAQ for Clay County schools (where OP is located): http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/PDF/FAQ_Who_Rides_Bus.pdf. It''s state law that districts are only required to provide buses to students over 2 miles away in walking distance. Clay is generous and serves anyone over 1.5 miles.

Looking at that document, I don''t think it''s different for the younger ages, either. My favorite quote from the FAQ:

My work schedule won''t let me drive or walk with my child to and from school. There is dangerous
traffic along the route and, to make matters worse, I have heard that my child would have to walk by
a sexual predator''s house. What should I do?
Sometimes family-friendly employers will provide flexible working schedules to parents who explain to them
that they have to drive their children to school. If that doesn''t work, there are various other options you may
want to explore, such as carpooling with trusted neighbors or other parents or organizing a parent-led walking
group.

Now, this doesn''t excuse the kids walking by themselves, but it certainly sheds light on why it''s probably a more common occurrence than we''d hope.

ETA: My mom, who is local, heard through the grapevine that the cops think they caught the guy, but they haven''t made it public yet. Here''s hoping that''s true.

That''s horrible about the bus service. Still, then I guess it''s the parents'' responsibility to arrange a carpool or babysitter for the kids if you choose to live in that area. I do hope that they caught the perp - it''s frightening to think that they might still be out there.

 

[ladyciel]

Date: 10/23/2009 5:28:53 PM
Author: vespergirl

Date: 10/23/2009 2:34:20 PM

Author: ladyciel

This is definitely a tragic event, and my heart goes out to her family. I actually lived in Orange Park for a couple of years at the end of high school before leaving for college, and my parents still live there. I do remember that students living within 1-2 miles of their school didn''t even have the OPTION of riding the bus. Here, I just found the bus transportation FAQ for Clay County schools (where OP is located): http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/PDF/FAQ_Who_Rides_Bus.pdf. It''s state law that districts are only required to provide buses to students over 2 miles away in walking distance. Clay is generous and serves anyone over 1.5 miles.

Looking at that document, I don''t think it''s different for the younger ages, either. My favorite quote from the FAQ:

My work schedule won''t let me drive or walk with my child to and from school. There is dangerous

traffic along the route and, to make matters worse, I have heard that my child would have to walk by

a sexual predator''s house. What should I do?

Sometimes family-friendly employers will provide flexible working schedules to parents who explain to them

that they have to drive their children to school. If that doesn''t work, there are various other options you may

want to explore, such as carpooling with trusted neighbors or other parents or organizing a parent-led walking

group.

Now, this doesn''t excuse the kids walking by themselves, but it certainly sheds light on why it''s probably a more common occurrence than we''d hope.


ETA: My mom, who is local, heard through the grapevine that the cops think they caught the guy, but they haven''t made it public yet. Here''s hoping that''s true.

That''s horrible about the bus service. Still, then I guess it''s the parents'' responsibility to arrange a carpool or babysitter for the kids if you choose to live in that area. I do hope that they caught the perp - it''s frightening to think that they might still be out there.

Orange Park really isn''t that large of an area, and there are so many elementary schools scattered into the residential neighborhoods that I suspect that depending on the housing market it might actually be difficult to find an area to live where your kids WOULD get to take the bus without venturing into the not-so-nice or super-expensive gated communities. Also, when new schools are put in, kids who once had bus service can lose it. Much of the town is affiliated with the Navy (NAS Jax is just up the road), which can mean short-notice moves without the luxury of time to hunt for the perfect house that is also the perfect distance from the nearest school.

I''m not saying that I would just let my kids walk by themselves - if I couldn''t take them myself I would do my best to find a trustworthy neighbor who could, or perhaps take turns - but in truth I think the culture of the area was that it was a safe neighborhood where the kids could walk to/from in groups and be fine. I think it''s horrible that this poor woman is being blamed by many for her daughter''s death, when she was only one of many parents in that area who let their kids walk to/from school, not to mention one of many many more across this country who choose, or must, do the same. The risk of a child being snapped up from their own neighborhood by a total stranger is actually much less than the chance of them being killed in a car wreck - is driving them every day actually safer, or does it feel that way because it seems like the parent has "control"?

 

[february2003bride]

This story just sickens me to the core. I will admit that hearing she had to walk 1 mile from school did make me raise an eyebrow. Vesper, I do think you and I live in a hyper vigilant area. I know that none of my neighbors let their kids walk down the block to the bus stop alone (with one family being the exception and several of the other SAHM''s and I keep an eye on their kids during their walk to and from the bus stop). We all have swapped stories about how we played from sun up to sun down without our parents watching us, but it truly is a different time now. And I feel that way even though I live in a safe neighborhood with no registered sex offenders and all of us on our block keep an eye out for each other''s kids.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 10/23/2009 7:38:13 PM
Author: ladyciel

Date: 10/23/2009 5:28:53 PM
Author: vespergirl

That''s horrible about the bus service. Still, then I guess it''s the parents'' responsibility to arrange a carpool or babysitter for the kids if you choose to live in that area. I do hope that they caught the perp - it''s frightening to think that they might still be out there.

Orange Park really isn''t that large of an area, and there are so many elementary schools scattered into the residential neighborhoods that I suspect that depending on the housing market it might actually be difficult to find an area to live where your kids WOULD get to take the bus without venturing into the not-so-nice or super-expensive gated communities. Also, when new schools are put in, kids who once had bus service can lose it. Much of the town is affiliated with the Navy (NAS Jax is just up the road), which can mean short-notice moves without the luxury of time to hunt for the perfect house that is also the perfect distance from the nearest school.

I''m not saying that I would just let my kids walk by themselves - if I couldn''t take them myself I would do my best to find a trustworthy neighbor who could, or perhaps take turns - but in truth I think the culture of the area was that it was a safe neighborhood where the kids could walk to/from in groups and be fine. I think it''s horrible that this poor woman is being blamed by many for her daughter''s death, when she was only one of many parents in that area who let their kids walk to/from school, not to mention one of many many more across this country who choose, or must, do the same. The risk of a child being snapped up from their own neighborhood by a total stranger is actually much less than the chance of them being killed in a car wreck - is driving them every day actually safer, or does it feel that way because it seems like the parent has ''control''?

I''m not trying to blame the mom - just saying that where I live in northern VA, you would never find a parent who would allow a 7 year old to walk a mile to and from school. I don''t even think that any school here would allow a 7 year old to leave school grounds unsupervised. I think the school district should change their busing policies, but absent that, I would still find some kind of adult supervision - even if it was finding a neighborhood SAHM who would walk my kids back & forth from school, and then either pay them cash or swap favors. I guess it''s a totally different parenting culture. Those poor siblings who were supposed to be "in charge" are probably going to feel guilty for the rest of their lives, but really, it''s the parents'' responsibility to arrange supervision for the kids - not a child''s responsibility.

Regarding the chance of a car accident, sure, that''s a risk, but between the two choices, I would much prefer that my son was in a car accident where I was driving than snatched, raped and murdered by a maniac.

 

[Shoopy]

This story is horrible and brought tears to my eyes.

Just wanted to mention also that not all of Florida is filled with criminals and plenty of wonderful, law-abiding citizens were raised and live here.

 

[steph72276]

Exactly, Fiery. I live in a very nice part of Florida...in fact, it was voted one of the top 100 places in the entire country to live. We don''t have sexual criminals hanging out on every block

. It is a very safe place to live. That being said, I would never let my little boy walk a mile to school alone or even with other children. The mother should have arranged for some after-school care....it is the responsible thing to do. I feel very sorry for the entire family.

 

[steph72276]

Oh and btw, 3 major cities in FL were named America''s safest cities for 2009: http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/26/safest-cities-ten-lifestyle-real-estate-metros-msa_chart.html?partner=yahoore. Just goes to show you that violent crimes can happen anywhere, and we as parents need to be vigilant in watching our children.

 

[dragonfly411]

actually there''s four there!

Unfortunately mine is not one of them... wonder why.... Our city is insanely safe.

 

[steph72276]

Thanks, Dragonfly...didn''t even see the 4th one!

 

[ladyciel]

Interesting list, Steph. Jacksonville is on the list, and Orange Park is one of its suburbs.

 

[dragonfly411]

I noted that and also Tampa (which is where the little girl who''s mother killed her was).