Get on the Bus–The Walking School Bus
How bad is the drop-off traffic congestion in front of your kid’s school?
If you’re like most parents in America, you’ll agree it’s pretty bad. Cars pulling up to the curb and pulling away, buses idling, parents running late, kids in a hurry to get to class.
Kara Sergile, a consultant and mom of two elementary school-age girls in Glendale, CA, had enough of the morning drop-off craziness. In 2009, she decided to do something about it. Working with school and city officials as part of a Safe Routes to School grant, the elementary school focused first on adding stop signs and improving crosswalks near the school. Once the immediate safety concerns were taken care of, Kara turned to the next step: convincing families who lived nearby to ditch the car and start walking to school.
Kara’s chosen method of encouragement? Students walking to schools in groups. She organized a walking school bus, a group of children that walks together to and from school under the supervision of an adult, usually a parent volunteer or teacher. It’s like a carpool, except without