Last year, Tali Smith's son Emmett walked himself home the four houses he lives from the school bus stop. He was six. The walk takes 3.5 minutes.

But this year, his suburban Michigan school will not let him do that—too risky.

The school district, Saline Area Schools, is newly enforcing a rule that says a parent or other adult must be waiting at the bus stop to escort anyone in kindergarten or first grade. Emmett is in first grade.

Though Smith not only believes Emmett can walk home himself on the nearly silent street, she has seen him do it for a year. But reality does not move a bureaucratic needle. "Other districts have less strict rules," including Ann Arbor, which is more urban and shares a border with her town, says Smith.

Unfortunately for Smith, Michigan has not yet passed a rea

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