Walk to School Day / Safe Routes to School (SR2S)
Walk To School Day 2005
International Walk To School Day was held on Wednesday, October 5th, 2005. In South Carolina, over 100 schools and 50,000 students participated in Walk To School Day events. The SCCPPA was the recipient of a grant by the SC Governor’s Council on Physical Activity to help pay for the production of posters, parent information postcards, pencils and balloons for schools to use to promote their event and encourage students to participate. The SCCPPA created an on line “Action Kit” filled with downloadable suggestions, form letters, surveys and safety tips. They also have created a website, www.scwalktoschool.org, for schools to register and access the materials.
In 2006, the SCCPPA hopes keep it’s partnership with the SC Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness as well as establish another partnership with the SC Department of Transportation. If you would like to get involved in this initiative for 2006, please contact Amy Splittgerber at 803-798-9086 or splittae@dhec.sc.gov.
Safe Routes To School (SR2S)
As part of the new 2005 Federal Transportation Law (SAFETY-LU), all states will receive at least $1,000,000 for Safe Routes to School programs. In SC, there will be a full time Safe Routes To School Coordinator hired to initiate SR2S programs statewide. SC DOT will be partnering with the SC Dept of Education and they are currently setting up the criteria for the grant process. It will likely take into consideration how many children live within 1.5 miles of the school and will include some measure of readiness and interest.
SC has one nationally certified SR2S Trainer, Diane Lambert, of Spartanburg. She and Mark Fenton (nationally recognized pedestrian advocate and Safe Routes To School expert) presented a full day SR2S Workshop at the annual Dept. of Transportation’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations Conference in December, 2005. The SCCPPA will bring Ms. Lambert to Columbia in February, 2006 to facilitate this workshop which will be presented to interested school superintendents, principals, school nurses, Physical Education teachers and PTA/PTO members. This workshop is an important first step for schools as they begin implementing a SR2S program. It is the hope of the SCCPPA to create a core team of SR2S Trainers who could go into the schools to present these training workshops locally. The SCCPPA is currently applying for funding from an outside source to make this happen.