[bobthepanda]

It is really unfortunate that we have created a society and physical landscape where children cannot get to school on their own.

In 1969, 48% of children walked or biked to school. In 2009 that figure is 13%. http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/introduction/the_decline_of_...

Even if you happen to live close enough to a school and the walking environment is safe, it‘s not unheard of for Child Protective Services to be called on parents for letting their children be autonomous.

And with the decline in routine physical activity we are now generally less healthy.

[ryandrake]

We need penalties for these nosy people who call Child Protective Services when there is clearly no danger to the child. In some states, you can get in serious trouble (jail time) for abusing E-911 service, why can't people get in trouble for falsely reporting a child who they know is not in danger? The trick is how do you define "clearly"? I'd at least expect a caller to be able to articulate a specific danger they observed the child was in (someone following them or the child was not dressed for the weather, and so on). Not just "he's alone therefore help".