Why don't you walk them to school
A better angle would be biking the kid to school, but it's possible/probable that the route isn't good for bikes.
in NYC, for example, this is probably one of the most common methods of getting to school.
children are learning but they are not dumb. They can generally recognize dangerous situations and exercise good judgment, and shocking crimes like stranger abduction are incredibly rare. they can, if services exist, go to the playground and the school unassisted, but unfortunately we now live in a society where even if you trust your kids, someone else might call child services on you.