Couple investigated by CPS for making kids walk to school.

[Ponce]

Walking 1.4 miles to school is "punishment"...why hell, I just to run about 10 miles after school just about every day while on the track team and seven miles from the sugar mill to town to see my girlfriend.
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Couple investigated by CPS for making kids walk to school.


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NINE MALL FALLS - A Suncrest couple has removed their five school-age children from Lake Spokane Elementary School after a school official there reported the mother to Child Protective Services in mid-November.

Parents, school district want issue settled
In response, the Nine Mile School District - which borders northwest Spokane and Stevens County - is investigating the incident.

Dan and Maree Koolstra said the incident began on Nov. 17 when their two oldest children missed the bus.

The couple claims they have told their 8- and 10-year-old children that if they miss bus then they have to walk to school as punishment. They allege this is a form of punishment they have set in the past and have enforced from time-to-time.

On Nov. 17 the children missed the bus and were forced to walk the 1.4 miles to school.

The children walked along a dirt path off Highway 291 to get there.

Maree Koolstra said she followed the children along as she drove in her car to monitor their progress.

Upon seeing the boys walking to school, a school official there contacted CPS and that agency contacted the Koolstras.

A meeting with Nine Mile Falls School District Superintendent Brian Talbott occurred Monday.

Dan Koolstra wanted the school employee immediately fired. Talbott told KREM 2 News that nothing would be done until an investigation was complete.

The Koolstra's then decided they would keep their children from school until the matter is resolved.

http://www.krem.com/news/local/62706212.html

[7th trump]

Gee wiz!!!!!!!!!!!!
You cannot get bus service around here if you live within a mile of the school.
They make kids walk to school as far away as one mile in low temps during winter. The only time they do not is when the school is closed to being too cold outside.
Its good for them anyway.........................now get out and push mow the grass and bag it damn it!

[oldmansmith]

1.4 miles, the HORRORS! Mrs. Old and I walked more than that this morning, and we're "old."

[SLV^GLD]

If the kids were made to walk under direct supervision of the parent then where is the case?!
The only stretch I could see sticking would be if the parents sent them off on foot with zero supervision.
And that's a stretch.
What is CPS' take on this?

[Heimdhal]

I used to walk that in 2nd and 3rd grade. Took my bike till it got stolen from school one day. Found out many years later that my mom used to follow me sometimes to make sure I was safe, but I never knew lol. The school was well within the neighborhood I lived in and it was a pretty quiet place.

I had to walk most of the time in highschool to. Not that its a big deal for a highschooler, but I lived just around 2 miles from school and the buses here dont run if you are within 2 miles. Not to mention I was zoned for a different HS than I went to. lol.


This crap is getting just plain retarded.

[oldmansmith]

This crap is getting just plain retarded.


This pretty much sums it up.

[ximmy]

"The employee shall be immediately fired" declared Koolstra, from outside school grounds...

Dan Koolstra believes he has been granted special employment powers that enable him to determine who should and should not be employed, simply by casting his voice as a decree.

"Until the Lake Spokane Elementary School enacts my decretal to immediately terminate the employee from the school I have no recourse but to remove all five of my kids from attending school."

Originally, just two of Koolstra's kids were late catching the bus, but Koolstra has a habit of charging all five of his kids with punishment when even just one makes an error.

This punishment should bring the school to it's knees said Koolstra with a fervent fiery voice.

A witness overheard Koolstra stating, "So it has been spoken, so it shall be!" ;D

[Phoenix]

The lunatics are running the asylum.

1.4 miles? Little kids would walk that to buy a soda!

I walked more than that during the Summer as a little kid to buy model kits at 10!

[dysgenic]

You have to be kidding me. CPS is an illegal, evil agency that has absolutely ZERO authority to kidnap children from their parents, under ANY circumstances. But even if they did have the authority, an unsupervised 1.4 mile walk would by no means- not even a stretch- be a justification for launching an investigation of this sort.
As far as I'm concerned every single person associated with that criminal organization should be thrown in prison for life. It doesn't get much worse than baby stealing.

dys




If the kids were made to walk under direct supervision of the parent then where is the case?!
The only stretch I could see sticking would be if the parents sent them off on foot with zero supervision.
And that's a stretch.
What is CPS' take on this?

[Phoenix]

You have to be kidding me. CPS is an illegal, evil agency that has absolutely ZERO authority to kidnap children from their parents, under ANY circumstances. But even if they did have the authority, an unsupervised 1.4 mile walk would by no means- not even a stretch- be a justification for launching an investigation of this sort.
As far as I'm concerned every single person associated with that criminal organization should be thrown in prison for life. It doesn't get much worse than baby stealing.

dys


Agreed in totality. But it doesn't help that 95% of married couples purchase a "marriage license" from the State, which has three parties to it: husband, wife, and the State. Children are a product of that tripartite contract, and perhaps the State is "only looking out for its interests"?

[SLV^GLD]

You have to be kidding me. CPS is an illegal, evil agency that has absolutely ZERO authority to kidnap children from their parents, under ANY circumstances. But even if they did have the authority, an unsupervised 1.4 mile walk would by no means- not even a stretch- be a justification for launching an investigation of this sort.
As far as I'm concerned every single person associated with that criminal organization should be thrown in prison for life. It doesn't get much worse than baby stealing.

dys
No, I'm not kidding. You're reading way more into it than you should. I'm not condoning CPS. I agree with your sentiments on CPS. I'm stating that CPS is a fact, however. And since CPS has been brought into this equation I am considering the worthiness of this case as it would appear to CPS. If these children were, say, 5 year olds in kindergarten and were walking down a major highway, unsupervised, then I could see where CPS might stick its nose in as they do at least feel a responsibility to justify their paycheck and followup on reports made to them. However, the parent was not leaving the children unsupervised. There is no case of neglect here. The ages of the kids would be pertinent if they were unsupervised which they were not. All the article tells us is that CPS was contacted. I want to know if CPS laughed in their faces or if they actually think there is a case here and, if so, on what grounds.

My curiosity is based on how CPS could rationalize that the parents were in the wrong at all. I'm not trying to rationalize the existence of CPS as they are simply an evil fact that can't be dispelled by some questions on an internet forum. So, please stop marginalizing my comments for asking pertinent questions instead of simply railing against a system I have zero control over.

[dysgenic]

According to the article, the children were between 8 and 10 years old and the road was a dirt path "off the highway".






You have to be kidding me. CPS is an illegal, evil agency that has absolutely ZERO authority to kidnap children from their parents, under ANY circumstances. But even if they did have the authority, an unsupervised 1.4 mile walk would by no means- not even a stretch- be a justification for launching an investigation of this sort.
As far as I'm concerned every single person associated with that criminal organization should be thrown in prison for life. It doesn't get much worse than baby stealing.

dys
No, I'm not kidding. You're reading way more into it than you should. I'm not condoning CPS. I agree with your sentiments on CPS. I'm stating that CPS is a fact, however. And since CPS has been brought into this equation I am considering the worthiness of this case as it would appear to CPS. If these children were, say, 5 year olds in kindergarten and were walking down a major highway, unsupervised, then I could see where CPS might stick its nose in as they do at least feel a responsibility to justify their paycheck and followup on reports made to them. However, the parent was not leaving the children unsupervised. There is no case of neglect here. The ages of the kids would be pertinent if they were unsupervised which they were not. All the article tells us is that CPS was contacted. I want to know if CPS laughed in their faces or if they actually think there is a case here and, if so, on what grounds.

My curiosity is based on how CPS could rationalize that the parents were in the wrong at all. I'm not trying to rationalize the existence of CPS as they are simply an evil fact that can't be dispelled by some questions on an internet forum. So, please stop marginalizing my comments for asking pertinent questions instead of simply railing against a system I have zero control over.

[BabushkaLady]

You have to be kidding me. CPS is an illegal, evil agency that has absolutely ZERO authority to kidnap children from their parents, under ANY circumstances. But even if they did have the authority, an unsupervised 1.4 mile walk would by no means- not even a stretch- be a justification for launching an investigation of this sort.

dys



BINGO! Another agency just looking to justify their existence.

Didn't most of us walk to school? We survived, even in the sleet, snow, rain and heat. *They want fat kids for the system nowadays* ::)

[SLV^GLD]

According to the article, the children were between 8 and 10 years old and the road was a dirt path "off the highway".
That is correct. I am in full agreement that this "case" should be laughed out and someone should face some penalty for such a frivolous report considering our tax dollars do pay the CPS goons.
My only point was that IF there is justification for the existence of CPS then the first consideration in this report would be whether or not the kids were supervised. They were. IF there were a lack of supervision THEN the next consideration would be the ages of the children. IMO, they were of age to walk unsupervised. Finally, failing all other litmus tests, the nature of the walk should be considered. This walk was not down a dangerous route.

So, I have come full circle. These kids were supervised, were of an appropriate age to walk alone and were walking on a low traffic road. I cannot imagine that CPS would give the report any merit whatsoever.

Sooooo, back to my original interest, which seemed to be entirely misconstrued, What is CPS' take on this?

[Serpo]

Walking 1.4 miles to school is "punishment"...why hell, I just to run about 10 miles after school just about every day while on the track team and seven miles from the sugar mill to town to see my girlfriend.
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C

Maree Koolstra said she followed the children along as she drove in her car to monitor their progress.





Stalking

[TheNocturnalEgyptian]

Starting at age 9 I walked or biked to and from school everyday until age 18. At age 11 we moved to a house that meant I had to walk uphill after school.

Are they seriously expecting the public to show ANY support over this?

[1970 silver art]

Since CPS is involved, then I guess it must be considered "child abuse" if the parents make their kids walk 1.4 miles to school.