Statewide Program Ensures Safety

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Created on Thursday, 07 May 2015 16:40

Written by Katrina Floranza

VERMONT- Over 70 schools in Vermont are participating in the Safe Routes to School program, a state-wide program who's main goal is to ensure child safety when it comes to walking or biking to school.

The Safe Routes to School program is a state-funded program that goes through the Vermont Agency of Transportation. In order to be a part of the program, schools must fill out a form of request. Once that is filled out and approved, schools are then given standards and tools in which they, themselves, can implement a "safe route to school."

Safe routes to school help downplay the area of traffic congestion by having more children find alternative ways to school other than being driven. A safe route also helps children be safer when around infrastructure.

Safe Routes to School first came into play in Vermont back in 2004 when schools in Chittenden County wanted to implement the program. Since then, almost ten years later, 70 schools are on the same path.

Jon Kaplan, Director of Safe Routes to School Program says, "About a third of the Vermont schools who are elligible have been participating, so, we have one of the best, sort of per capita, I guess... We have a very well represented program in Vermont."

The Miller's Run School believes this program can help their goal, which is to ensure a safe route to school. The main concern stopping this goal? The Miller's Run School is currently located right on Route 122, concerning parents and faculty of the safety of children who want to walk or bike to school. "We don't have any sidewalks here, anywhere. So, that's a big concern for safety on the road and on the way to school," says Miller's Run School nurse, Sophia Hall.

The school has done numerous events to raise awareness to their goal. Some events are national events—such as the National Walk and Roll to School Day that takes place every first Wednesday in May—and some events are ones that the school came up—such as the Bike Safety event they held in September. "There's three days a year the state and the nation actually encourages school children and their staff members to walk to school," adds Hall.

Not only is the Safe Routes to School program something that can create a safe environment, but it is also a program that can help create a healthy lifestyle. According to the Safe Routes to School website, in today's generation, only about 15% of children either walk or bike to school. With the less physical activity, it makes the statistic of 1 in every 4 children being obese, believable.

"The goal of the program is to increase the number of kids who are walking and biking to school, because that number, nationally and in Vermont, has been steadily going down," Kaplan adds.

Implementing a safe route to school has shown that areas that participate in this program increase walking by 60% and decreases crashes by 40%.

Not only does this program help defy statistics, but it also brings the community together. "You know, you get parents involved. There's often someone from the Health Department or the local hospital who might get involved and schools have really embraced that," says Kaplan.