Welcome to our web page for
Safe Routes to School

 

 

We are going forward with the Safe Routes to School plan.

We need your help!!!

We need, reliable parents/guardians/others who have a specific concern for children arriving at school safely and returning home safely. Please view the video link on this page to get a better idea about this safety program. We are looking at walking routes for children now. We will most likely start with one route and add others as the program develops. We are also looking to establish "Safe Houses" along the Walking School Bus routes and throughout the neighborhood. The Safe Houses are houses the children may go to when they believe they are in danger. The process includes background checks on everyone in the household over a certain age. If you are interested in either or both parts of the program, please call the school at 248-2244, advise the person on the phone which part of the program you are interested in, a contact phone number a best time to call, and we will get back to you with specific information.

 

Click HERE to view a video in Windows Media Player from the national safe routes web site explaining more about Safe Routes to School and the Walking School Bus.

 

Hugh Bish Elementary School is participating in the Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program. Safe Routes to School national web site is www.saferoutesinfo.org where you may find an abundance of information on this great program. The Oklahoma web site is www.okladot.state.ok.us/srts/. We are in the early stages of becoming a part of this program. We started with teachers taking a tally each day for a week of how students arrived at school and planned on going home. The choices were: walking, riding a bus, riding a personal or care pool vehicle, etc. Parents were sent a survey to complete. Please check the information on the national and Oklahoma web sites for more information and let the school know if you are interested in helping. We will need several parents, grandparents, responsible adults, to assist to make this a safe success. The program will also include a safe house or several in the neighborhood in case children become endangered or feel they are. This is a very complex program and will take some time to put together and place into full action. Your help is needed and will be greatly appreciated. We will add more information to this page as we move forward in the program.

The Walking School Bus is but one part of the Safe Routes to School program. Click HERE for a web page discussing this safer way for children to walk to and from school. Click HERE for a PDF or printer friendly copy.

Not so long ago, walking and biking to school was as common as today’s more familiar ritual of parents dropping and picking up children from schools all across the U.S. In 1969, nearly 50 percent of all students walked or bicycled to school. Today, however, the story is very different. Fewer than 15 percent of trips to and from schools are made by walking or bicycling, compared to 25 percent on school buses, and over 50 percent made in private automobiles.

The decline in walking and bicycling has had an adverse effect on traffic congestion and air quality around schools as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety. In addition, a growing body of evidence has shown that children who lead sedentary lifestyles are at risk for a variety of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Safety issues are a big concern for parents, who consistently cite traffic danger as a reason why their children are unable to bicycle or walk to school.

The purpose of the Federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program is to address these issues head on. The Program empowers communities to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and routine activity once again. The Program makes funding available for a wide variety of programs and projects, from building safer street crossings to establishing programs that encourage children and their parents to safely walk and bicycle to school.