MassDOT Expands Safe Routes to School with 72 Additional Schools
1,171 Schools Are Now Part of the Safe Routes to School Program
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) reported today that its Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program continues to grow and make a difference as the 2023-2024 academic year comes to an end, with 72 additional schools joining SRTS since last September. The total number of partner schools across Massachusetts is now 1,171, located in 284 communities and serving approximately 590,000 students. The program has seen consistent annual growth in its number of school partners for the past 19 years.
Sponsored by MassDOT and with funds from the Federal Highway Administration, the Massachusetts SRTS Program promotes safer routes for students to get to school through a focus on the six E's: Education, Encouragement, Evaluation, Engagement, Engineering, and Equity. The program hosts annual flagship events such as Massachusetts’ Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day in May.
“I want to commend our Safe Routes to School Program team for their dedication to safety and for finishing the school year strong as SRTS continues to expand its network across Massachusetts,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Parents deserve to have peace of mind when it comes to students walking and biking to school, and SRTS will continue to work with school communities to help make our roadways more equitable for different modes of transportation.”
This year’s Nikki Tishler Memorial Award winner, Jenn Martin from Newton, commented on the evolution of the Safe Routes to School program, ”In my decade-plus of involvement with Safe Routes to School, I have seen Newton's Safe Routes work evolve and, as the new Director of Transportation Planning for the City of Newton, am now working with?high school students who are demanding that our local, state and federal governments do a better job of providing them with the tools, education, and infrastructure that they need to be able to independently navigate the built world. It is inspiring, and we have so much more to do!”
The Nikki Tishler Memorial Award recognizes an individual or group of individuals who served as true champions of Safe Routes to School over the past school year, making the extra effort to ensure a successful program in their community.
Dennis Geniuch, Director of Health and Wellness at Brockton Public Schools, said, “I would like to express my thanks for the wonderful partnership between MassDOT and the Brockton Public Schools. The Safe Routes to School program provided opportunities for students K-12 that have enriched our Health and Wellness curriculum and increased awareness and opportunity for the students in Brockton.”
Matt Behnke, an educator at Conte Community School in Pittsfield, said “It was so inspiring to see all the other ways that schools and communities are promoting safe access on foot and by bike. And it definitely reenergized me to continue this work in the years ahead.”
Conte Community School received the Exemplary Program Award for the Western Region this year at the SRTS Annual Awards Ceremony.
The 72 schools that joined SRTS since the start of the school year last September include:
Amherst Regional Middle School, Amherst
Belmont High School, Belmont
Belmont Middle School, Belmont
Benjamin F. Butler Middle School, Lowell
Berkley Middle School, Berkley
Boston Green Academy, Boston
Bourne High School, Bourne
Bridgewater Middle School, Bridgewater
Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, Bridgewater
Broad Meadows Middle School, Quincy
Brooke Roslindale (Brooke Charter Schools), Boston
Burncoat Prep Elementary School, Worcester
Burncoat Senior High School, Worcester
Charlotte M. Murkland Elementary School, Lowell
Charlton Middle School, Charlton
Chelsea High School, Chelsea
Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Chicopee
Chicopee High School, Chicopee
Concord Carlisle High School, Concord
Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, South Yarmouth
Dr. An Wang Middle School, Lowell
Duxbury High School, Duxbury
Easthampton High School, Easthampton
English High School, Boston
Flagg Street School, Worcester
Framingham High School, Framingham
Franklin Early Childhood Center, Melrose
General John Nixon Elementary School, Sudbury
George H Mitchell Elementary School, Bridgewater
Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical School, New Bedford
Grew Elementary School, Boston
Hampden Charter School of Science - East, Chicopee
Harold L Qualters Middle School, Mansfield
Holyoke High School, Holyoke
Holyoke STEM Academy, Holyoke
Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton
James F. Sullivan Middle School, Lowell
Joseph Metcalf School, Holyoke
Josiah Quincy Upper School, Boston
Kenny Elementary School, Boston
Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, Lenox
Lester J. Gates Middle School, Scituate
Lille B. Merrill Elementary School, Raynham
Lt Elmer J McMahon Elementary School, Holyoke
Mansfield High School, Mansfield
Melrose High School, Melrose
Memorial Early Childhood Center, Middleborough
Mendell Elementary School, Boston
Middleborough High School, Middleborough
Murdock High School, Winchendon
New Citizens Center School, Worcester
New Heights Charter School, Brockton
Northampton High School, Northampton
Norton High School, Norton
Oxford High School, Oxford
Quaboag Regional Middle High School, Warren
R.H. Conwell Elementary School, Worthington
Raynham Middle School, Raynham
Salem Prep High School, Salem
Scituate High School, Scituate
Shepherd Hill Regional High School, Dudley
Somerset Berkley Regional High School, Somerset
Stoneham High School, Stoneham
Stoughton High School, Stoughton
Tantasqua Regional Junior High School, Sturbridge
Therapeutic Day School, Bridgewater
Trotter K-8 School, Boston
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, Bourne
West Tatnuck Elementary School, Worcester
Westborough High School, Westborough
William G Vinal Elementary School, Norwell
Williams Intermediate School, Raynham
Additional SRTS success metrics include:
779 “Walk and Roll to School” events in the 2023-2024 academic year.
329 bicycle and pedestrian safety sessions hosted virtually and in-person in the 2023-2024 academic year.
257 alliance partners who extend the reach and support of Safe Routes to School programming; examples include libraries, bike/pedestrian advocacy groups, and afterschool and summer programs.
80+ infrastructure projects completed and/or in progress designed for students to safely walk and bike to school since the program’s inception.
The Walk and Roll to School events come from the number of school registrations SRTS received for its three flagship day events (iWalk in October; Winter Walk & Roll in February; and Massachusetts Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day in May). More information about these flagship events can be found here.
Summer with Safe Routes to School
Throughout the summer, the SRTS team continues its outreach, hosting Bike Rodeos, pedestrian safety classes, and other events that teach students about safe and active trips.
The Bike Rodeos are an interactive way to teach students the rules of the road while practicing safe bicycling skills. The rodeo format incorporates stations along a loop course that simulates a neighborhood environment. More information about the Bike Rodeos can be found here.
During the school year, the Program offers pedestrian and bicycle training activities, walk and bike assessments, and arrival/dismissal observations at schools. SRTS works with schools and their local communities to help customize safety-focused activities, provide resources to help facilitate safe student travel, and offer one-on-one assistance for each school's specific needs. By fostering partnerships between advocacy groups, municipal officials, law enforcement, education leaders, and public health departments, the program currently serves over 1,170 public elementary, middle, and high schools in over 280 communities across the Commonwealth.
For more information on Massachusetts Safe Routes to School visit:
www.mass.gov/safe-routes-to-school
www.facebook.com/SafeRoutes.MA
www.twitter.com/SafeRoutes_MA
www.instagram.com/srts_ma
www.linkedin.com/company/ma-safe-routes-to-school