Safe Routes to School Plan

WALKING SCHOOL BUS & BIKE TRAIN

IN-SCHOOL CURRICULUM & ACTIVITIES

A Walking School Bus is a group of students walking to school, often with one or more adults. Caregivers can take turns leading the bus, which follows the same route each time and picks up students from their homes or designated bus stops at specified times. Ide ally, buses run every day or on a regular schedule so families can count on it, but they often begin as a one time pilot event. Bike Trains operate in much the same way, except that it includes a group of students biking to school. Bike Trains are typically more appropriate for middle and high school students. Which schools : Walking school bus at Jackson, Red Oak, Sun Path, and Sweeney Elementary Schools; bike train at Shakopee West and and Shakopee East Middle Schools and Shakopee High

There are a variety of ways that SRTS-related curriculum and activities can be incorporated into the school day. Students can measure and evaluate walking and biking routes in math classes, calculate environmental impacts of different transportation options in science, or design and fabricate custom bike parking or bike shelters in en gineering and shop classes. Middle and high school stu dents can plan Walk & Bike to School Day events, lead Walking School Buses for younger students, or develop their own projects to make walking and biking an easier, safer, and more attractive option for their peers.

Which schools : East and West Middle Schools, Shakop ee High School

Timeline: Immediate (within one year) to short term (one to two years)

Timeline: Short term (one to two years)

Program lead/partners: School district, school adminis tration and staff, City of Shakopee

Program lead/partners: School administrators and staff, caregiver volunteers, students

Implementation considerations:

Implementation considerations:

• District newsletter could update school communities about SRTS activities and opportunities • District already has a dedicated website for SRTS that could be updated and expanded • School-level communications can augment and provide school-specific SRTS details • Beginning of the school year is a key time period for sharing information about walking and rolling

• Can build on routes where caregivers already are walking their kids to school • School-level volunteer coordinators can help to communicate about routes and organize caregivers to lead buses and trains

• SHIP funding can support stipend for staff coordinator

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SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN SHAKOPEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SHAKOPEE, MN