Too Far to Walk
These days there are few schools where all students live close enough to walk or bicycle. In an effort to include everyone, many Walk to School events offer options for bus riders and parent-driven students. Here are a few examples of events and activities to inspire your planning:
Many of our families live too far away to safely walk and bike to school. We encourage participation by offering volunteers stationed at designated sites where families can meet to walk/ride together to school every Wednesday. This year we are using a punchcard to keep track of participation and award incentives. Many of our staff walk or ride and we try to model this transportation choice for our children as parents.
Escuela Bilingue Pioneer Elementary School, Lafayette, CO
Our students live too far away from school and there are no sidewalks, so all children ride the bus. For our Walk to School Day, we are having parents and bus drivers drop the students off in the subdivision next to our school. Staff members will meet them and walk back together.
Barth Elementary School, Romulus, MI
Our event includes a "Bonus Miles" program; students can log any physical activity to count as "mileage" in our school-based contest (we will be able to accurately report actual miles covered to the state contest). I created a 2 week log for students to record their trips to school or bus stop, as well as their bonus miles. We will announce mileage leaders at the 1/2 way point and then give the students another 2 week log to finish out the month. The bonus program is a necessary addition because we are a magnet school system and lots of our kids live too far from school to safely walk/bike.
Vance Elementary School, Asheville, NC
The parents drive up to 40 miles one-way to bring their children to school...too far to walk! The students and faculty plan to meet at a neighborhood retirement village and walk to school (with willing residents) a distance of about 1 mile. We have also invited the tenants of Four Squares Business Center (where the school is located) to walk with us.
Scenic Land School, Chattanooga, TN
