While walking to school isn’t typically uncommon for students, this took on a whole new meaning at High Springs Community School (HSCS) on Tuesday morning, with students and families taking part in National Walk & Roll to School Day.
In an interview with Mainstreet, Kevin Mangan, public information officer for the High Springs Fire Department (HSFD), said the event is held annually throughout the country as part of Pedestrian Safety Month, which is observed every October.
“It’s encouraging kids when they walk to school to walk safely, to look both ways before they cross the road, to look for a crosswalk,” he said of the purpose of the event. “If they can’t walk on the sidewalk, to walk against traffic…a lot of stuff that we [adults] remember because we were taught these things as children. So now, as adults, we’re kind of the ones passing down this knowledge to these kids…”
On Tuesday morning, students and families could be seen utilizing the crosswalks situated at the front entrance of HSCS. While some walked across the street, others opted for different methods of transportation, like bikes and scooters.
Before entering the school grounds, students were greeted by a group of folks set up outside of HSCS, who were giving away various items such as bracelets, cups, activity books, etc.
Most of the people giving away these items were wearing orange safety vests with the letters “Safe Kids” on the back.
“Safe Kids here in our area, it’s a network of essentially community partners,” said Jordyn Zyngier, Safe for Kids North Central Florida Coalition Coordinator and Pediatric Trauma Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator at UF Health.
Among the community partners present Tuesday morning were the HSFD, High Springs Police Department (HSPD), the Children’s Trust of Alachua County (CTAC) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
“Everybody has the same goals. We’re all working for the same purpose of protecting children,” Zyngier said.
The event at HSCS served as a kickoff to what will be a week of Walk & Roll to School Day celebrations at various Alachua County schools. This includes Littlewood Elementary School (Tuesday afternoon), Stephen Foster Elementary School (Wednesday morning), Rawlings Elementary School (Wednesday afternoon) and Norton Elementary School (Friday morning).
Zyngier said community partners will also be present at these other schools.
Mangan said they encourage other community organizations that want to get involved to become a Safe Kids coalition member.
“There is a myriad of things that they can do. Volunteer at different events, help tend to children at car seat events, be scribes, or just be community partners and help amplify our messaging,” he said. “So, we’re looking for anybody and everybody.”
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.
