Education Law

Walks aren't just for exercise

Following yesterday's International Walk to School Day, BoardBuzz was on the look-out to see what we could find about children walking to school to create healthier lifestyles and living environments. On our search, we came across an article in The Los Angeles Times, that told us for some communities, their top concern isn't exercise or the environment; it's safety.

Most students in Santa Ana, California walk only a few blocks to school everyday. But in those short blocks to Garfield Elementary, students encounter litter, graffiti, broken sidewalks, rubble from construction sites, and more. For this community, the International Walk to School event became a day to focus on how to improve these students' everyday walks to school.

Last month, with the help of teachers and public officials, over 200 students surveyed their walks to school and made comments and observations about things that made them feel at risk. The top concerns amounted to broken sidewalks, traffic, lack of crosswalks, speeding drivers, trash and graffiti, and yesterday these students presented their findings to parents, the police, and other community members.

With their results, they offered their solutions, which included adding more stop lights and stop signs and cleaning up the trash and litter. But, safety doesn't stop there. Many parents are concerned about gang-violence in the community and how it can affect their children walking home. In this school, Principal Linda DeLeon does not let a student go home without a parent or a signed permission slip.

BoardBuzz is glad to hear about this community taking action to make things safer and we are proud of parents, teachers, and community officials for working together to make that happen. Does your school have anything to share about making walks to school safer? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on October 10, 2008 (boomark / email).