After passing both houses of state government, a "free range kids" law to allow children to walk to school and play outside unsupervised is headed to the governor's office in Utah.
A new law in Utah could free parents from the responsibility of keeping their children under 24-hour surveillance. The "Free Range Kids Law" would give parents the right to allow children to play outside or walk to school unsupervised.
This may seem to be an unnecessary law to those who don't follow parenting trends, but punishments can be severe for moms and dads who allow their children to exercise independence. "South Carolina mom Debra Harrell thrown in jail for letting her 9-year-old play at the park while she worked at McDonald's; the Meitivs of Maryland investigated twice for letting their 10 and 6-year-olds walk home from the playground; Maria Hasankolli handcuffed for oversleeping while her 8-year-old stepson missed the bus and walked himself to school," Lenore Skenazy writes for USA Today.
Arkansas considered a similar bill, but the legislation did not make it out of the State Legislature to the governor's desk.
FULL STORY: Free-range kids: Finally, one state lets kids grow up without helicopter parents
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research