Students and staff from 14 schools within the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) are getting out their bikes, scooters, skateboards and walking shoes in preparation for Bike It! Walk It! Day on Oct. 3 and 5.
Bike It! Walk It! encourages school students and staff to leave the car at home and utilize other modes of transportation, including carpooling and riding the bus.
About 30 percent of District students at 14 different schools participate in the event, avoiding approximately 12,000 car trips.
This year, local officials are invited to join Walking School Buses of students and parents to Lincoln Middle School on Oct. 3 and John Adams Middle School on October 5 to show their support of the Districts Safe Routes to School Program.
The two middle schools, along with Roosevelt Elementary and Will Rogers Learning Community, are participating in a Safe Routes pilot program to develop pedestrian and bicycle safety curricula and resources this school year.
Schools celebrating Bike it! Walk it! Day on Oct. 3 include Lincoln Middle School, Roosevelt Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School, John Muir Elementary/Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH) and Santa Monica High School.
The remaining SMMUSD schools, including Will Rogers Learning Community, Edison Language Academy, Grant Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Juan Cabrillo Elementary, Point Dume Science School, John Adams Middle School, and Malibu High School, will participate on Oct. 5.
Bike It! Walk It! and Safe Routes to School programs involve a partnership between the City of Santa Monica, the District, and the Parent Teacher Association to reduce traffic congestion near schools and promote health, safety, environmental, and community benefits.
The Bike It! Walk It! effort supports community engagement through this environmentally friendly program.
Visit www.bikeitwalkit.org for further information and updates.
