Even when the basic ingredients are all in place—a community that outlines secure, low-traffic routes to school; decent sidewalks; friendly corner crossing guards—many parents are a bit reluctant to let their children, especially young ones, walk to school alone. It’s hard to know how far kids can be expected to go by themselves, and at what age they are ready. And it’s a scary world out there.

One mom named Becky, a member of the University of California Berkeley Parent Network, recently shared her concerns in an on-line parental advice forum. “We live in a family-oriented neighborhood in southwest Berkeley,” she explains. “Sometimes we let our daughter walk around the block with our dog or visit a friend around the corner by herself, but even something as simple as that scares me when there are incidents like that poor girl who disappeared in Monterey while walking her dog.”

Becky recently asked for advice from other parents: “At what age did you permit your child to walk several blocks by himself or herself?” Her question led to a flurry of concerned responses: “I still believe that kidnappings or murders and such can happen ANYWHERE!” “No place is 100 percent safe.” “I think there is a difference between letting a girl walk alone vs. a boy and at what age they are allowed.”

Resource The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is a clearinghouse for successful walking school bus programs that have launched worldwide.

While the above adages hold some truth, they aren’t much help. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is calling attention to a simple concept that may prove more useful in combating some parental worries: walking school buses. In this system, groups of kids walk designated routes to school under adult supervision. More children are picked up along the way just like a regular school bus. Among the potential benefits: a decrease in automobile emissions near schools, less parental driving stress, and healthier students who might even develop a lifelong habit of healthy walking.

This push for walking school buses comes at a time when the American Obesity Association reports that about 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12 to 19) and 15.3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are obese, and far higher percentages are overweight.

The idea has already caught on in England. Laura Roberts, from North Wales, reports that her community’s walking school bus program began last May with much excitement. “The children and volunteers wear fluorescent waistcoats so that everyone can see the children clearly. Mrs. Hughes’ dog also wore a waistcoat!” exclaims Roberts. Other countries, including New Zealand and Canada, have begun to build on England’s example and now organizers in the United States are busy trying to make more parents aware of the concept.

Resource The CDC has developed the KidsWalk-to-School community-based program that aims to increase opportunities for daily physical activity by encouraging children to walk to and from school in groups accompanied by adults.

Issa Simpson, a project coordinator with Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, explains two options for making this idea a reality in U.S. school districts. For one, neighborhoods can set up informal walk groups, such as the one Simpson established in her Portland community a number of years ago. “It was great,” she recalls. “We were all walking—to hear about the kids’ days and to find out what they were going to be doing, I got to know a lot of the kids much better.”

While the informal route was a success in her neighborhood, Simpson believes that formal school-based programs would have more lasting effects in communities and could grow increasingly larger. “Schools provide a structure for communication that is critical for this type of activity,” she argues.

Bumps on the Road
There are a couple of challenges to Simpson’s school-based goal: increasingly busy parents and the not-so-small matter of insurance liability.

Most working parents would probably find it difficult to ask their employer for time off to walk a local group of kids to school on a regular basis. But organizers believe that many stay-at-home parents and grandparents would be willing to participate if structured walking school bus programs were available. From her own experience, Simpson also thinks that retired school teachers and counselors would be interested volunteers.

While the “busy parent syndrome” may have readily available solutions, insurance liability for school-based walking school bus programs is a tougher problem. Anne Seeley of California’s Safe Routes to School program, explains, “School principals in particular are reluctant to participate in walk to school day or other safe routes activities because they worry they’ll become liable for any injuries or missing kids.”

The insurance issue has been less troublesome in the UK, Australia and New Zealand because of different health systems and liability laws. For instance, under those countries’ universal health care systems, anyone injured while participating in such a program wouldn’t have to worry about paying medical costs.

Simpson isn’t asking that the U.S. change its health insurance system. But she still wants walking school buses to be implemented in school districts. This year she has helped the 520-student Buckman Elementary School in Portland develop a school-based walking school bus program with the help of a $96,000 grant received by her department from the Environmental Protection Agency. “The school district views this as a Department of Environmental Quality project and the volunteers as Departmental volunteers, so our liability insurance will cover the volunteers,” says Simpson. “But this is a one-year grant that will end.”

To continue the program at Buckman Elementary past this year, Simpson is reaching out to insurance companies and private corporations, such as NIKE. “We just want an open-ended discussion with anyone out there,” she explains.

Safe Walk Solutions
Chicago public schools found success during the 2002-2003 school year through a unique pilot program with the city’s police department. Walking school buses were funded and developed through the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy, a community-based safety initiative. 175 schools participated in the program. Says Simpson, “In the case of Chicago, the police department was the umbrella—they had city insurance coverage for their program.” She and many other organizers are hopeful that similar partnerships can be forged in other cities.

Another possible solution to the nationwide liability dilemma is for organizers to secure passage of the Pedestrian and Cyclist Equity Act of 2003. On June 18, 2003 Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-Minn) announced the introduction of a bill to create the Act for a national safe routes to school program.

Resource America Bikes advocates for legislation that would make more money available for programs like walking school buses. The organization offers a sample letter and talking points for contacting your Representative.

The Act would send $250 million per year to states to create safer streets around schools and also encourage bicycling, walking and other physical activity, which could include the walking school bus concept.

The bill now faces a long legislative process in Congress. The America Bikes organization has taken the lead in organizing a campaign to convince the U.S. House of Representatives to support the Act. They have begun a letter-writing campaign to House members, asking for co-sponsorship. The organization hopes that a similar bill will soon be introduced in the U.S. Senate.

In the meantime, Simpson believes that this year’s first walking school bus at Buckman Elementary will serve as a positive example for other community organizers and especially parents. In anticipation of the first day of school, she’s busily mailing out letters to increase awareness, talking to parents, and even painting footsteps on the sidewalks to call attention to routes. And she predicts, “It’s going to be a lot of fun—the kids will love it and I will, too.”

Pictures used with permission from Safe Routes to School

Rob Capriccioso is a staff writer for Connect for Kids.