FL - Somer Thompson, 7, Orange Park, 19 Oct 2009 #16

[pinamia]

I am so sorry to disagree with you given this horrible situation, but in no way can we hold parents responsible for a school system who chose to cut off the bus routes for kids who lived as close to the school as Somer did. It is the responsibility of the school system to provide transportation to and from school to these children. Taxpayers pay taxes for this very reason, and no child should be left out of it.
I feel terribly sorry for the entire family, but laying blame on a mother who has to work for a living is absurd! If Somer was not allowed to attend school because she had no "safe" way of getting there, the school system would hold that mother responsible for not "making" her child attend school. It cannot be both ways here. The school system has enough funds to get crossing guards, but not enough to drop kids off closer to the school knowing they have to pass by anyways?
I personally think the father, the mother, the community and the entire county should sue the crap out of the school system, but then that is just MY OPINION!

No state taxes in Florida. Of course, it's the parent's responsibility. 100%, in my opinion. If you don;t have busing then you have to provide for you child.

 

[mydailyopinions]

As I read all of these posts I can only cry in gratitude for all of you. All of these events have hit so close to home for me in so many aspects. Jax is my home. The love and overwhelming support shown by jax was so moving to me. I know the people here and I know that their support was offered for Somer and her whole family. Thank you all. It saddens me even deeper that this family could not come to gether in support of the other children. Somers paternal grandparents are not in good health and could not make the journey here, so I am hoping they will get the support and be allowed to grieve together at the service saturday. I will take all of your support with me when I go. I see that it says WLK had a court date today... does anyone know the outcome?

I can only hope that when the shock of all of this has worn off, and the grief is more tolerable, that both sides can and will come together.

 

[sadnpod]

mydailyopinions:

Please disagree in any way you want. That is what makes us all think. I dont know what the best way would be to handle the situation of kids having to get to school without a bus. What i do know is that MOST parents would not allow children this age to walk. What about foul weather? I am not blaming her for this decision. I am not blaming the school either. Actually I feel like it is on all of us. It takes a village to raise a child. Maybe this will make some changes that need to be made to protect our children. At the least I think we could provide whistles, and defensive classes to all children who have to walk to school. IF any one person is to blame, it is WLK or scum like him. WE MUST GET THESE REPEAT OFFENDERS OUT OF SOCIETY. We must all look out for our children.

 

[Noway]

I think we all can agree that there were alternatives available to Diena (after school care at school, hiring an adult for pick-up and after school care).

But it doesn't matter NOW. It's pointless IMO to talk about what she should have done. It won't change what is.

 

[MommaD]

Sadnpod you need to contact the owner of the site here... please... Her name is Tricia she can be found on front page or some threads have her name that she started. but you need to contact her since you are tied in family as cousins some way..

she has to ok family members of victims.. thank you

 

[tlcya]

Ripley, I'm hoping that style goes out long before my daughter is ready for school. And hoping it's not replaced by something worse.

My son and daughter are ~7 years apart and I often have to tell my daughter that something I let her brother wear or do is not appropriate for a child her age.

But truly, I pick my battles. I'm guessing Diena did the same.

We all have to pick our battles. I don't find it all that telling that mom "let" her carry a pink skull and crossbones motif backpack. Let's not all get offtrack with the backpack. The backpack did not kill her and has nothing to IMOO

 

[QueenD]

No state taxes in Florida.

I believe part of the yearly property taxes goes to school. Not sure what all that covers.
http://www.claycountytax.com/Property Tax/MillageRates.html

 

[mydailyopinions]

No state taxes in Florida. Of course, it's the parent's responsibility. 100%, in my opinion. If you don;t have busing then you have to provide for you child.

Why would a school system not provide buses for children 2 miles away? Do those buses not go by those areas at all?
Does it make it easier knowing that 17 year old high school kids who live 4 miles away have a ride home? But a child who is 9 has to walk? What about those in the younger grades having to walk?

Being responsible for your child also means standing up for their age. 9 year old's have no reason to be walking home from a public school! The adults who allow them leave the school on foot for that far have no right to even have a job in the system. If they hire crossing guards to stand, then they should hire them to walk the entire way with these children, not at check points.
If I knew that this was going on in my community, I would be at the board each and every day with the news station, newspapers and every other person who could get the word out that we can give our inmates bus rides to do community service, bus rides to their doctors appointments and bus rides to their court hearings, but are too dang sorry to give a child a bus ride home from school.
JMHO

 

[Noway]

We all have to pick our battles. I don't find it all that telling that mom "let" her carry a pink skull and crossbones motif backpack. Let's not all get offtrack with the backpack. The backpack did not kill her and has nothing to IMOO

I think you misunderstood my post; at least the way I intended it to be as a response to Riley. But no matter. We agree.

What killed Somer was the heinous actions of a person who took advantage of Somer running off from those she was walking with. Not that she was wearing a white hat and scarf or carrying a pig lunch box or carrying a skull and crossbones backpack.

 

[nursebeeme]

We all have to pick our battles. I don't find it all that telling that mom "let" her carry a pink skull and crossbones motif backpack. Let's not all get offtrack with the backpack. The backpack did not kill her and has nothing to IMOO

jumping in with both feet on the skull and bone motiff. It is popular. It is "in". Kids like it. And I couldn't agree with tlcox more on what she said above. It is a fashion that is "in" and can be found at Target, et al.

What IS important about the bag and lunch box is that they haven't been found yet and we now know what they look like.

MOO

 

[Noway]

O/T
Some school districts allow kids to ride the bus if their parents are willing to pay a fee (when they live closer than the rules for that district allow).

Maybe not for OP.
http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/PDF/FAQ_Who_Rides_Bus.pdf

 

[QueenD]

Regular students living within two miles of their school are expected to arrange their own transportation

taken from

http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/claytransp.pdf

on first page

 

[Lipin One]

But why would the other children be in danger? Wouldn't all kids in the entire neighborhood be in danger? Why target just her home? Surely the killer would be smart enough to avoid her house for fear of being caught. Just makes no sense at all to me. Put an unmarked police car with a detective there - someone unknown as a law enforcement officer. It just doesn't add up to me.

Maybe someone has said this before, since I'm running a little slow to catch up today. But, one purpose of the police guarding the house could be to keep onlookers and media out of the property. We know how relentless can they be.

Again, IMO.

 

[mydailyopinions]

mydailyopinions:

Please disagree in any way you want. That is what makes us all think. I dont know what the best way would be to handle the situation of kids having to get to school without a bus. What i do know is that MOST parents would not allow children this age to walk. What about foul weather? I am not blaming her for this decision. I am not blaming the school either. Actually I feel like it is on all of us. It takes a village to raise a child. Maybe this will make some changes that need to be made to protect our children. At the least I think we could provide whistles, and defensive classes to all children who have to walk to school. IF any one person is to blame, it is WLK or scum like him. WE MUST GET THESE REPEAT OFFENDERS OUT OF SOCIETY. We must all look out for our children.

You know, before they found Somer, the first thing I thought of when they talked of these children walking home and having to go through check point guards was "what if one fell and scraped his/her leg" in between? Who would be there to help this child? I was angered about this before they found her. I can't imagine seeing a 5 year old having to walk home. It breaks my heart.
Sadnpod, my heart breaks for you, and the entire family, and I agree with getting these offenders off the streets. I do firmly believe that until the jails are over crowded with parents who take matters into their own hands against these "things" nothing will ever change. Way too many people are failing our children today.
I hope you know that my deepest sympathies are with you and the family, and my anger towards the school system for not giving Somer a ride home from school runs deep, because I keep thinking what if she was on a bus that day? I know the what if's will not bring her back, but what IF the next child is on a bus instead of on foot and this perp fails to attack again because of it?

 

[eyes4crime]

She has been extremely cold to ST in all of this, including the obit. imo, its because she is clinging to the bf, who seems very controlling. He is the one who snatched up lil ST and would not let his father hug him at the graveside. DT did not say a word, other than to snarl to ST that this was not the time to see his kids. unbelievable reaction to me at a time like that. Lil ST was obviously devasted, curled in a ball in pain. I wanted to hug him too, but all I could do was tell ST his children were watching him and to let it go for now. The funeral director then told us we were not invited to attend the "reception" at the church after and that he would be glad to buy us lunch at sonnys. To which we declined. The funeral home would not provide copy of guest books or anything other than a copy of the cards on flowers to ST. They excluded him at every turn, stating that DT had requested he not receive anything else. Her bf sat in front row with lil ST. ST and fam were seated to the left of the casket, not even in the section reserved for family. Selfishness is not a character most good mothers have. all imo.

sadnpod - thanks for all the info. I must have missed what your relationship is to dad T and DT, are you a relative or a sig other to either one? thanks

 

[Ripley007]

for what it's worth.........just because it's mainstream now and sold at Target-doesn't make it right. jmho

I don't care how "cute" they try to package it. It's a Skull and Bones for cr88888sakes people! seven year old girls should be sporting puppies and kittens.....right? ((sigh)) maybe I am getting old......

 

[mydailyopinions]

Regular students living within two miles of their school are expected to arrange their own transportation

taken from

http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/claytransp.pdf

on first page

Thank you for the link!

One thing that stands out to me is that the school system offers buses to extracurricular activities...which I am sure includes, football games, baseball games and so on...which, I myself provide for my children no matter what they are attending unless it is during school hours....
yet 9 year old children don't get a ride home from school...
Sorry, I don't agree with it.
If a football team is traveling 40 miles a week to a game to and from, there is no reason why they can't give a child 2 miles away a ride home from school.

 

[Noway]

Regular students living within two miles of their school are expected to arrange their own transportation

taken from

http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/claytransp.pdf

on first page

http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/PDF/FAQ_Who_Rides_Bus.pdf

I checked and discovered there is no bus service for my child. Why?

By state law, transportation is only required for those students who live at least 2.0 miles from their assigned school.

Clay County’s policy however allows transportation of students who live at least 1.5 miles from his/her assigned elementary school or 2.0 miles from his/her secondary school.


I drove my car to the school, and my odometer indicates that the distance is over 2 miles. Why is there a discrepancy?

Your home may be less than 2 miles walking distance from the school. According to State Board of Education rules, the walking distance determines when transportation is required. Walking distance is measured along the shortest available pedestrian path from your home to the school.

Some lived one mile away (walking distance) from her assigned elementary school (Grove Park Elementary).

 

[stumpedpa]

I hope I havent missed this being cleared up somewhere. It took me a while to find it but I thunk it was here somewhere. I was right. Thread 1 -- page 2 -- post 43. backpack as posted by chili fries.
sold by target.
Hope I haven't muddied the waters and this was still in question.

:>)

 

[mydailyopinions]

http://www.clay.k12.fl.us/PDF/FAQ_Who_Rides_Bus.pdf



Some lived one mile away (walking distance) from her assigned elementary school (Grove Park Elementary).

Regular transportation allotments for each school district are limited to students who
live two or more miles from the school they attend. Regular students living within two
miles of their school are expected to arrange their own transportation. Exceptions are
granted for students whose trip to and from school would traverse hazardous areas.

Now there is true hazard to these children, including a killer on the loose, media vans, and increased traffic. However, I don't think anything will change.