I would say, the key word in your post is "walk." Driving a car is a WHOLE DIFFERENT MATTER. When I attended school, you had to have a note to walk to school instead of taking the bus. This was to absolve the school of responsibility during that time.

As I said above, there is no disagreement from me about the quality of schools these days. But that doesn't absolve the legal responsibility thereof. Fix the schools. Don't look the other way and allow children to participate in risky behavior (in a rush, looking at their watch...gotta get back for the next class, etc.), and then ignore these tragedies year after year because "freedom." A proper parent/child relationship is closer to a dictatorship than a friendship. The same can be said for schools. That's just the way it has to be. In order to make a safe environment for all, there are rules to be followed, because some will try to take advantage (to their own detriment, if not involving others as well). Give a kid an inch, he'll take a mile -- especially now since so many are entitled.

Many social problems today are the result of giving children too much freedom, and not educating them about the consequences and responsibilities of their actions. This is just as important as any education they receive in school. Freedom DOES NOT MEAN you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Because, those so-called "freedoms" quite often infringe upon the rights of others. Rules are there to be followed in even the most tolerant of democracies.

Yes, schools have become indoctrination centers...but they weren't always that way. Fix the schools -- don't allow children to their own devices. They have neither the brain capacity nor maturity to handle it.