A new program offers Missouri elementary students a healthy transportation alternative.
The Walking School Bus program allows students to exercise on their way to school. Missouri Safe Routes to School coordinator Jeff Cremer says the program works like normal bus transportation.
“The Walking School Bus program works similar to a regular school bus,” Cremer said. “Instead of riding in a bus, they’re walking to school and getting some exercise and having a good time on their way to school.”
Cremer says volunteers or teachers set up a route in a neighborhood where students meet. The teachers or community leaders then walk the students to school.
Kirksville schools Ray Miller and Kirksville Primary have recently implemented the Walking School Bus program and are set to begin on October 1.
Kirksville Walking School Bus coordinator Megan Howard says the program has two goals; eliminating traffic and car emissions around the school and solving childhood obesity in Kirksville.
“Adair County has a higher obesity rate than surrounding counties which was kind of startling to us when we first started looking at the data. We’re hoping that this is a way to help decrease the obesity rate and start some healthy habits in our youth.”
The Walking School Bus program is federally funded by MoDot’s Safe Routes to School. Howard says this covers training for volunteers as well as a background check, and allows students and families to participate for free.
Howard says the program will run from October 1- November 21 this fall and again during good weather in the spring, but hopes to see it grow into an all year long event.
