Education
While the federal Safe Routes to School program is funded through the Federal Highway Administration, schools and schools districts are critical partners in the success of SRTS programs. Federal and state education laws often affect interest in and institutional support for Safe Routes to School initiatives. Things like school wellness policies (which are required by the federal Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004), physical activity guidelines, and siting schools within neighborhoods can help build a supportive environment for Safe Routes to School.
The primary federal legislation governing education is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (or the No Child Left Behind Act). This legislation was due for reconsideration in 2008, but Congress was not able to come to agreement. It is unclear when Congress will take up the bill at this point. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership works in partnership with the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity to monitor progress on the reauthorization and to identify opportunities to strengthen physical activity in schools, including through Safe Routes to School.
Latest News and Information:
EPA releases draft of voluntary school siting guidelines; National Partnership participated in review group
December 8, 2010
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a draft of voluntary guidelines for siting schools. This draft is now open for public comment until February 18, 2010. School districts face difficult choices when a new school is needed, including whether to renovate the existing school or to identify a new location for the school. Over the years, school campuses have gotten increasingly larger and are located farther and farther from the children they serve. The percentage of children who live within a mile of school has dropped from 41% in 1969 to 31% in 2009.
The EPA was charged by Congress to develop the draft school siting guidelines to provide school systems with a voluntary framework to use when making decisions about selecting school sites. During the development of this draft, the EPA convened a school siting task group as part of the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was asked to join the task group. We advocated that the school siting guidelines clearly address the positive health and environmental benefits that can come from siting schools near the children they serve and ensuring safe routes for children to walk and bicycle to school.
We are pleased that the draft guidelines set a good balance between examining the positive aspects of a prospective school site and avoiding hazardous sites. We are also glad to see that the draft encourages states to review their policies that affect school siting and ensure they are supportive of healthy and safe schools. We are currently working on more detailed comments that support the smart growth and safe routes to school aspects of the draft guidelines and make additional recommendations and suggestions. We will make these comments available to Safe Routes to School supporters in January; at that time, we will encourage you to submit comments of your own.