Lebanon Borough is a small village in rural Hunterdon County with a population of about 1,125. The Walking School Bus is run for the town’s only elementary school, the Lebanon Borough School which covers grades K–6 and has 89 students.
Inspired by the success of participating in the International Walk Day for the past five years, Lebanon Borough School staff organized a Walking School Bus. The program was led by the sixth-graders and included the Student Council, teachers, and community members. The goal of the program was to remind everyone of “the simple joy of walking to school, the benefits of daily activity, and the need for every town to have a safe place to walk.”
The Walking School Bus is conducted twice a month in the warmer months and once a month during the rest of the year. The route consists of a loop around the mile-square town covering areas where the houses are concentrated, including the main street and some smaller roadways, and avoiding high traffic areas. Children not living along the main route are dropped off at points along the route. Students and parents are asked to sign a permission slip to release the school from liability if students are injured on their walk to school. Any student who wishes to walk to school on any given day must have this permission slip turned in.
Students are encouraged to participate with the use of “hooks,” such as identifying themes for the walking days. As noted previously, one such event is the International Walk Day in October. Other popular days include “Dr. Seuss Day” and “Red Ribbon Week” that links the event to the motto “Walk Away from Drugs.” Other attractions include giving book marks, and “frequent walker cards” which can be turned in for a treat at the general store. The school also provides pedometers to all the students so they can track the number of steps they accumulate over the course of a year.
Another important initiative to promote active and healthy lifestyles has been coupled with Lebanon’s Walking School Bus: A bike safety program was launched in the fall of 2005 when students were permitted to ride their bikes to school.
Results
Overall, the initiatives in Lebanon, particularly those directly related to the walking program, have been successful. Participation in the Walking School Bus averages about 40 of the school’s 89 students and increases with certain attractions. The event which included rewards for the children increased participation to 59 students. At this writing, 20 permission slips for the newly launched biking project had been received.
Lessons Learned
The Lebanon group found certain elements to be crucial for success. Foremost, the support of the school principal and administration is key. Secondly, a reliable pool of volunteers is needed to perform various functions, such as serving as the safety patrol during the walks (student council members, PTA’s, and high school service clubs are recommended sources.) Thirdly, addressing safety and liability concerns in multiple ways including education, bike inspections, and permission slips is crucial in abetting the concerns of parents and the school administration.
Implementation
The financial and time resources required for organizing these initiatives came from a number of sources:
HOW TO CREATE A WALKING SCHOOL BUS PROGRAM
Resources
http://www.ridewise.org/
RideWise of Raritan Valley’s website with links to the Van Derveer Elementary School Walking School Bus Plan
www.nutritionnetworknews.org/walkbus.htm
Do it yourself guide to a walking school bus developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
www.walkingschoolbus.org
Links to various walking school bus sites
http://www.walkingschoolbus.org/Walking_School_Bus_Basics.pdf
Starting a walking school bus
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/obesity/summit/20041208/08_Carothers.pdf
Chicago’s walking school bus program
www.iasd.cc/Walking%20School%20Bus.htm
Indiana Pennsylvania’s walking school bus program
www.travelsmart.gov.au/schools/schools2.html
Australia’s guide to developing a walking school bus, get tips from where the idea began
www.activelivingresources.org/assets/walking_school_bus_gfg.pdf
Canada’s Go for Green’s guide How to organize a Walking/Cycling School Bus publication
Contacts
Lebanon Borough School
6 Maple Street
Lebanon, NJ 08833
Phone: (908) 236-2448
RideWise
360 Grove Street
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Phone: (908) 704-1011
Email: james@ridewise.org
www.ridewise.org
Van Derveer Elementary School
Union Avenue
Somerville, NJ 08876
Phone: (908) 218-4105
References
Bross, Kathleen. (2005, October 5). Lebanon Borough School, Where Great Things are Happening. [Press Release]. Lebanon, NJ.
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walking and Bicycling to School: Train the Trainer Lesson Plan. Retrieved February 28, 2006 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/community_presentation/train_the_trainer_guide_508.pdf.
House Bill 717, Chapter 678, Acts 2001. Maryland State Legislator, effective October 1, 2001.
Lebanon Borough. (2005). Home Page. Retrieved February 28, 2005 from http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/mun/lebnboro.htm
Mackett, R.L., Lucas, L., Paskins, J., & J. Turbin. (2003, September). The Health Benefits of Walking to School. Centre for Transport Studies.
New Jersey Safe Routes to School. New Jersey Safe Routes to School Program Targets. Retrieved January 6, 2006 from http://bikemap.com/srts/about2.php.
The Maryland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Maryland Department of Transportation (2003, July). Evaluation & Final Report. Maryland Safe Routes to School.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2005). Chapter 4: Physical Activity. In Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved February 28, 2006 from http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter4.htm
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. (2005). Fact Sheets on Highway Provisions: Safe Routes to School Program. Retrieved February 1, 2005 from http://wwwfhwa.dot.gov/safetealu/factsheets/saferoutes.htm.
U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (September, 2002). Safe Routes to School. (DOT Publication No. HS 809 497). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Van DeveerPublic School. (2005). Basic School Information. Retrieved October 17, 2005 from http://schools.publicschoolsreport.com/NewJersey/Somerville/VanDerveer.html.
WalkBoston. (2003, August). Safe Routes to Schools Tool Kit Manual or How to Start Your Own Walk-to-School-Bike-to-School-Traffic-Reduction-and-Safety Program. Retrieved October 17, 2005 from http://www.walkboston.org/projects/safe_routes.htm.
WalkBoston. (2005). Who We Are. In About Us. Retrieved January 6, 2006 from http://www.walkboston.org/about/who_we_are.htm.
