Child Home Alone?

[gemini3]

My ex wife is routinely leaving my 10 year old daughter home alone for 1 1/2 hours before school.  I do not feel that my daughter is old enough for this responsibility, but don't know what to do about it.  I have attempted to address it with my ex, but she denies it.

My daughters grades have suffered since this started, mostly due to homework not being turned in.  I have e-mails from the teacher stating that she's not turning in her homework, and a report card stating the same.

Any suggestions on what to do?  We live in VA - there is no state law that covers this.

[ocean]

Offer to pay for a before care program? Most schools have it or there is a daycare center that offers it with busing. Is there a neighbor she can go to instead?

It really depends on the kid and that is what our state law says. If the parents thinks child is old enough then it is okay (I guess within reason). Is your child scared? Do you live close enough to go get her and bring her to an early program?

Teach her all the safety rules (call 911, don't answer phone or door). That is the best you can do. Offer your phone number if she gets scared.
You can send your ex a certified fact only letter...stating that you do not believe child is old enough and that you are willing to get child or pay for daycare.  If you find out it happens again you can try to have your court order changed to have it put that child will be in before/after care until age 12 (That is the highest they take them here).

[mistoffolees]

Looks like that falls within the guidelines of Fairfax County (I don't know what county you're in, but if your county has no guidelines and if your state has no law, you're going to have a hard time proving neglect, anyway):

http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/homealone.html

"Should not be left alone for more than 1½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours."

You might check with your county CPS to see if they have guidelines.

[gemini3]

I read that too, but not in that county.

I don't really have an issue with her being home alone for 1 1/2 hours.  She's a responsible girl, and I think she can handle that.  What is the biggest concern for me is that she goes to the bus stop by herself.  Her mother lives in a large apartment complex in a commercial area.  The bus stop is on the corner of a 6 lane main road, in the parking lot of an extended stay motel, and she is the only child at that stop.  

To me, that's asking for trouble.  If something happened to her, no one would even know about it until she didn't come home in the afternoon.  I gave her a cell phone, but her mother doesn't let her have it.  I pulled up the VA Sex Crimes Registry, and there are 6 registered sex offenders within 4 blocks of her bus stop.  I'm extremely concerned about her safety, but I don't know if there's even anything I can do about it.

[mistoffolees]

I don't know, but it seems that that is a very different question than the one you asked at first. Your original question was whether the child should be left alone at home. Having her walk by herself to a bus stop is probably a different story altogether.

You might call your county CPS to see if they have any suggestions or recommendations. It could be that leaving her at a bus stop in an area with multiple registered sex offenders might constitute endangerment.

[gemini3]

I should have been more clear about what exactly was concerning me about the situation.  Thanks