Partners help students get to school safely through CCSD’s Safe Routes to School program
The School-Community Partnership’s Safe Routes to School program encourages children to walk and bicycle safely to and from school.
CCSD works with our schools and generous community partners to address challenges and barriers to walking and bicycling for students. The benefits of implementing Safe Routes to School programs can be far-reaching and include:
- Improving safety
- Encouraging physical activity
- Reducing traffic congestion and motor vehicle emissions
Additionally, it is a challenge for some students to get to and from school. When students miss school, their academics suffer, so the Safe Routes to School program can also improve attendance, helping students succeed in the classroom.
With the generous assistance of 98.5 KLUC’s Chet Buchanan Show Toy Drive and HELP of Southern Nevada, the School-Community Partnership Program’s Safe Routes to School initiative recently received bicycles to give to those students to enable them to get to school.
The Safe Routes to School program, Bike for Education, will be working with Title I elementary schools to identify students who are struggling with attendance and in need of a bicycle that will be used to ride to and from school.
Those students will attend bicycle safety education and a bike repair workshop, where they will learn basic bike repair skills. Once they pass this course, they get the green light to start riding their bicycle to and from school. Each student will receive a bike, helmet, lock, and a bike repair toolkit.
In addition to the Bike for Education program, and the efforts of counselor Shannon Bruno, J.T. McWilliams Elementary School celebrated 210 students who reached their perfect attendance goals. On Dec. 14, the school hosted a “Perfect AttenDANCE” for all 210 students.
At the dance, 20 students were awarded a bike along with a helmet and a lock. Bikes were donated by the Safe Routes to School partner Breakaway Cycling.
CCSD Partnership’s Safe Routes to School staff is grateful for the opportunity to work with these partners and others to reach so many children in our community with the support they need to get to school safely.
If you would like more information on how to partner with CCSD, please visit ccsd.net/community/partnership or contact the School-Community Partnership Program at 702-799-6560.