DDOT will select eight schools to participate in the DC Safe Routes to School Pilot School Program. Each school will receive assistance in the development and implementation of a Safe Routes to School Plan. The Safe Routes to School Plan will identify education, engineering, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation measures in order to get more kids walking and biking to school and to make it safer for them to do so. DDOT will also provide assistance with the implementation of each school's Safe Routes to School Plan.
What will DDOT Provide to Successful Pilot School Applicants?
DDOT, with assistance from consultants, will provide each pilot school with the following:
Help with the development of a Safe Routes to School Plan that covers each of the five E's (education, engineering, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation).
Pedestrian and bicycle safety training in the classroom.
Increased law enforcement from the Metropolitan Police Department within the School Zone.
Ideas about what has worked at other schools around the United States.
Technical assistance with the implementation of education, enforcement, evaluation, and encouragement programs.
Planning and possible implementation of engineering changes to improve the safety of children walking and bicycling to school.
Small prizes to be used as incentives to encourage students to walk and bicycle to school.
Who Can Complete an Application?
The SRTS application may be filled out by anyone with a relationship to the school, for example, a teacher, a parent, a school principal, or a school nurse.
Which Schools are Eligible to Apply?
DDOT will select ONE school in each Ward for the Pilot School Project, for a total of 8 schools. Public, Private, and Charter schools are eligible to apply.
In order to be eligible for selection, a school must meet each of the following criteria:
School grade level should include K-8 (or a sub-set, such as K-6 or 7-8). (By law, SRTS activities must focus on grades K-8).
Schools should be scheduled to stay open per DC Public School's School Consolidation Plan.
School must not have policies that prohibit or discourage walking or bicycling to school. If a school does have such a policy, it must be willing to change the policy as part of the SRTS program.
What Is Your School Required To Do? (Program Requirements):
Schools that are selected for the Pilot School Program will be required to do the following:
Form a Safe Routes to School Team: The team should consist of a variety of individuals as described later in this document. The team will meet during the duration of the Pilot School Project. It is likely that meetings will occur once a month for several months, and then every other month thereafter.
Provide a Team Leader: Each school must designate a team leader. The team leader may be a teacher, administrator, or other school employee, parent, or other individual. The team leader will be the primary point of contact between DDOT and the school.
Schedule and Host Safe Routes to School Team Meetings: The Team Leader will coordinate with the school and the SRTS Team to schedule SRTS-related meetings. The school is responsible for providing a location for SRTS meetings.
Conduct evaluation activities: Schools must conduct before and after surveys of students and parents, using the forms provided on the DC SRTS website www.ddot.dc.gov/saferoutes. At a minimum, Student In-Class Travel Tallies and Parent Surveys are to be completed and tallied in September 2008 and May 2009. Schools have the option to send their completed Tally and Survey forms to the National Center for Safe Routes to School; they will scan and tally the results.
Coordinate SRTS encouragement activities: The Safe Routes to School Team will choose encouragement activities for the school, such as a Golden Shoe Contest or Frequent Walker/Biker Cards. Each school is responsible for working with the Safe Routes to School Team to implement the chosen Safe Routes to School encouragement activities, with technical assistance from DDOT.
Provide in-class time for bicycle/pedestrian safety education in the school, ideally as part of Physical Education, Health, Science or other classes which can tie-in SRTS to existing curriculum.
Send home information about SRTS to parents in backpack-mail and other methods.
Promote at least one school-wide Walk and Bike to School event at the school, preferably Walk and Bike to School Day on October 8, 2008.
Selection Criteria:
In order for an application to be considered, a school must meet all of the eligibility requirements and agree to the program requirements. Evaluation of eligible applications will be based on responses to the questions under "Selection Criteria/Application Questions" in the application. When answering the application questions, be sure to answer all parts of each question. Applications will be scored on a 100 point scale. Each question is worth a specific number of points, as noted on the Application.
Go to the Safe Routes to School website for more.
http://yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=2008-04-29
Posted by: Ken | April 30, 2008 at 07:51 AM