When did you start letting your kids bike/walk to school by themselves?

We live just over a mile from our local elementary school. Our school doesn't provide buses if you live within a 1 mile radius of the school, but we live just past the cut off point. A couple of years ago, there was actually someone who measured the exact distance in order to get a petition to get buses for the kids. It's that close to the cutoff, so it's basically a mile away.My older two boys are 7 (second grade) and 6 (kindergarten). They normally take the bus to school. Now that it is getting nicer out, my MIL (who babysits the youngest and gets the boys off the bus) will sometimes walk the boys to school. They normally ride their bikes and she follows behind them with my toddler. She doesn't really mind and my toddler enjoys the walk too, but I was wondering if we could start letting the boys go by themselves next year.They'll be 8 and 6 by the time next school year starts. Do you think the oldest would be old enough to start walking/biking to school by himself? He's a pretty mature and bright kid. He knows how to get there and knows what to do in case he is approached by a stranger. He'll probably be riding with his friend from down the street.I probably wouldn't let the 6 year old ride because I don't want my older son to feel like he has to babysit his brother. My 6 year old is also a bit on the wild side, so I don't really trust him yet.I am mainly asking about the (soon to be) 8 year old. I know I was biking farther distances at that age, but I have heard stories of people getting the cops/CPS called on them for things like this. I have a crazy neighbor and don't want to cause any problems. Am I being negligent? via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2mQEFJM