The Safe Routes to School Program is a national and international movement to create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to school. Safe Routes to School provides a variety of important benefits to kids and their communities, including improved health, reduced traffic congestion, better air quality, and enhanced neighborhood safety. Safe Routes to School is a solution for the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity.

The City of Auburn initiated a Safe Routes to School Program (SR2S) using Cary Woods Elementary as a Pilot Program. A task force was created to steer the efforts and organize the many components of the program. Auburn's SR2S Taskforce is comprised of members of the Auburn Bicycle Committee, Auburn City Schools, Auburn Public Safety Department, Auburn Parks and Recreation Department, Auburn Public Works Department, and the Cary Woods Elementary School community.

After interaction with the community, the SR2S Taskforce developed a series of preferred routes for students. These routes were designed for walking and biking school buses which consisted of one or two parent volunteers who escort multiple students along the route at a designated time, much like a standard school bus. These routes also serve as a model for determining where infrastructure improvements are needed. In addition, the task force developed a calendar of events correlating with nationally recognized days such as International Walk-to-School day, International Bike-to-School Day, Earth Day and many others. Contests, prizes, and challenges were prepared for the students.  

The Safe Routes to School Program is an exceptional program that also helps fight the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity. This program has received a lot of recent publicity as the federal government is providing financial assistance for SR2S program costs. If you are interested in this curriculum for your child's school, please contact Brandy Ezelle at 501-3029.