Transportation Issues Examined by School Board

The Vernon Board of Education addressed two transportation initiatives at its last meeting - a bus route for students with attendance issues at the high school and a Safe Routes to School Plan for Skinner Road School.

Roger Wiley, the supervisor for student support at Rockville High School, presented the results of a trial bus run that ran during the third quarter of the school year (the end of January to beginning of April) for Rockville High School students who normally would walk to school, but have attendance issues.  The idea was to be able to assist students who typically arrive to school late or have absence concerns, according to Wiley.

The board made an exception to its transportation policy to do so.

Approximately 25 students registered to participate in the third quarter endeavor, Wiley said.  Students could ride the bus from the center of Rockville near Rockville Hospital along West Street to the high school.

“Our data is indicative to these students that providing transportation didn’t make a significant difference,” Wiley said.  “It is essentially equal.  We had hoped that providing the provision of transportation would have a positive effect on student attendance.  It didn’t have the data we were looking for in the end.”

Wiley said it was a bit disappointing and pointed out that the measure did assist a few students in having better attendance.  School Board Chairwoman Anne Fischer thanked Wiley and the high school staff for their efforts.

Matthew Wlodarczyk, principal at Skinner Road School .asked the board of education to support a Safe Routes to School Plan so grant funding can be sought.  SRTS is a federal program established to create safe settings where parents and children can walk and bicycle to school safely.

Since 2004-2005, Skinner Road has concentrated on health and wellness, Wlodarczyk said. It has been a school at the “forefront” of this initiative in schools.  Last year Wlodarczyk presented the idea to the board of education as informational.  This time around, Wlodarczyk said he needed the board’s approval of the plan because there are grant opportunities that could bring in $150,000 to $500,000 to the school system. 

“I’m looking to apply for funds for the whole entire Vernon community not just Skinner Road,” he said.

In July 2005, Congress passed federal legislation that established a National Safe Routes to School program dedicating a total of $612 million towards SRTS from 2005 to 2009, according to the Safe Routes web site. The Federal Highway Administration administers the Safe Routes to School program funds and provides guidance and regulations about SRTS programs.  SRTS funds can be used for both infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure activities.

Skinner Road School’s plan addresses the safety issues that may prevent the third of its population living one mile from the school from walking or biking to school.  The school has taken steps to make the walk or bike ride to school safer with the help from its Parent Teacher Organization with the purchase of extra fluorescent pedestrian crossing signs.  The plan also discusses how students are dismissed from school. 

The school has seen an increase in walkers since an original survey in 2007. A second survey was sent home to 95 households from Skinner Road School in December 2009. There was a 43 percent return.  The questions in the survey sought information about how often walking to and from school happens to why students are driven to school to carpooling.

The action plan includes the “5 Es“ of SRTS – Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation.  Some items emphasized are repairing and enhancing sidewalks, installing traffic calming measures, teaching safety skills to parents and students, training, creating programs involving walking and biking, creating a parent patrol, the continued use of radar speed signs, surveys and traffic studies.

Parents Shireen Rhoades and Charlie Chatterton are the coordinators for the plan. They have formed local and state-level partnerships. 

Board member Paul Stansel applauded Skinner Road for putting the plan together. “This is an outstanding plan,” he said. “I would hope that all the elementary schools in Vernon would consider putting a plan in place.” The board approved support for the plan. 

For more information about the national Safe Routes to School visit, http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/.