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BILL WOULD
LET ILLINOIS PARENTS DECIDE WHEN KIDS ARE OLD ENOUGH TO BE HOME ALONE
Illinois Policy Institute/
Dylan Sharkey
Illinois is the only state to outlaw
leaving children home alone until they are 14. Lawmakers are considering
throwing out the minimum age altogether, joining 39 other states that
leave it up to parents.
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 Parents in Illinois may soon be the ones to decide when it’s
safe to leave their children home alone.
An amendment to House Bill 4305, introduced by state Rep. Sue Scherer,
D-Decatur, eliminates the minimum age of 14 years old for children to be left
unsupervised in Illinois. If it passes, Illinois would join 39 states that
already believe parents are the best judges of their children’s maturity and
ability to stay home by themselves.
State law defines neglect as “any minor under the age of 14 years whose parent
or other person responsible for the minor’s welfare leaves the minor without
supervision for an unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental or
physical health, safety, or welfare of that minor.”
There’s no definition of “an unreasonable period of time,” which opens the door
to poor interpretations by government employees.
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Wilmette mother Corey Widen has seen the law in
action. In 2018, she let her 8-year-old daughter, Dorothy, walk the
family dog around the block. A neighbor called the police upon
seeing her walking alone, but officers saw nothing negligent about
it.
That didn’t stop the Illinois Department of Children and Family
Services from seeing grounds for an investigation. They eventually
dropped the case, but only after weeks of scrutinizing Widen for
simply trying to teach her daughter responsibility.
Scherer’s amended bill makes sense, letting parents judge whether
they have a responsible 10-year-old or an irresponsible 15-year-old.
Respecting parents’ roles is what those 39 other states do, and so
should Illinois. |
