Creating Safe Routes to School in Rural Oklahoma Hillary Mead, MS Public Health Educator

Presentation Overview Overview of Cherokee Nation Our Focus Previous work in Safe Routes to School Factors of Success Lessons Learned

About Cherokee Nation More than 320,000 registered Tribal members Capital located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma Jurisdiction includes 6 full and 8 partial counties within the Oklahoma tribal statistical area. Jurisdiction covers more than 7,000 square miles Health services has 8 clinics, 1 hospital, and 1 employee health center Non-reservation Tribe

Our Focus Restoring health to communities, including those in Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma, requires: rethinking the design of the built environment, reconnecting transportation planning and land-use planning, applying the principles of Safe Routes to School, and creating streets and neighborhoods that support children in using active modes of transportation.

Our Work in SRTS May 2011- Oklahoma Department of Transportation SRTS Grant May 2011-Developed an action plan that included infrastructure and non-infrastructure activities October 2011- Walk to School Day April 2012- Bike Rally October 2012- Began work in Nowata, Pryor Creek, and Stilwell Cherokee Nation partnered with the City of Tahlequah and Tahlequah Public Schools to develop a SRTS planning committee. This opportunity created a link for our public health to partner with non traditional partners such as the city planner. Through the SRTS committee, the City of Tahlequah was able to apply for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation SRTS Grant. The committee was able to submit an action plan that included strategies from the 5 E’s- Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Engineering, and Evaluation.

Walk to School Day Cherokee Nation partnered with Nowata Public Schools, Pryor Public Schools, and Tahlequah Public Schools to support Walk to School Day. Walk to School Day is the first Wednesday in October. Volunteers provided a walking school bus for students who wished to participate. Community agencies, such as law enforcement and fire departments, assisted students as they walked to school. Parents, teachers, high school students and Principals walked alongside elementary students on Walk to School Day.

Bike Rallies Community Coalitions, such as Tahlequah BEST, have sponsored Bike Rally events. They have partnered with Cherokee Nation’s Marshal Service and Remember the Removal Riders. These riders bike across the country traveling on the route the Cherokees took on the Trail of Tears. They shared their experiences with the children and helped them to learn safety skills while riding on the road.

Walking Experts Mark Fenton Dan Burden

RIGHT-SIZE & RIGHT-SCALE Streets Transform S. Maple Avenue—Address the Drainage Culverts Transform S. Maple Avenue by addressing the drainage culvert and converting it to a paved bike lane. S. Maple Ave., it's a great place for a bike path, especially if the city covers the culvert; Mayor Jason Nichols said the city probably has right of way to put in a bike trail along this road. The culverts need to be addressed because they cause many safety concerns for people on foot or in a vehicle. From This To This

Create Place, Bring Awareness to the Intersection with Paint IMPROVE Crossings From This To This Transforming spaces with paint can be a good first step to building awareness and community support. By reclaiming the asphalt—or public space—to create community-oriented places, through projects such as painting the pavement, the seeds are planted for greater neighborhood communication, resident empowerment and nurturing of local culture. Create Place, Bring Awareness to the Intersection with Paint

RIGHT-SIZE & RIGHT-SCALE Streets One-Way Street Conversion. The school should consult the city on converting Osage to a one-way street to maximize safety for walkers, cyclists and those arriving by bus. With this action, one of the two lanes would become a parking and drop-off lane, running much the length of the street. By adding parking here, the city and school can buffer students from moving cars as they walk in a newly designated 10-foot wide lane of their own. A formal traffic engineering study is recommended to authenticate this change. Convert Osage to a One-Way Street

ADDRESS Arrivals & Departures Driveway is Too Wide Narrow the driveway to create better access management and to reduce the exposure of pedestrians.

WALKING SCHOOL BUS The idea is simple: Give parents a little piece of mind by having a "school bus driver" stop and pick up their child for the walk to school as part of a supervised group. Walking school buses have gained popularity across the country, but while most are led by an adult, Pryor High School is one of the first sponsors of a program led by teenagers. It's experience from which school leaders in other districts will be eager to learn, and one that can help frame a distinct identity for Cherokee Nation's approach, which is to see active living as a cornerstone of healthy living at all ages.

Character Education Partnership WALKING SCHOOL BUS In the fall of 2014, Pryor High School's Leadership Class launched a new “Walking Wednesdays” program at the city’s three elementary schools, with the older kids walking the younger children to school every Wednesday. Walking School Buses With Safe Routes to School initiatives unfolding in regions across the country, Pryor Creek's efforts stand out. On Oct. 9 of this year, Pryor High School's Leadership Class launched a new Walking Wednesdays program at the city's three elementary schools. The Pryor High students meet children from each of the elementary schools at designated locations every Wednesday and lead them to school in a "Walking School Bus." They received training from local police and staff from the city, the school district and Cherokee nation. National Award: Character Education Partnership Promising Practice in Character Education

Factors of Success Schools City Government Tribal Government Cherokee Nation Community Health Promotion Geographic Information Systems Communication Marshal Service Public School Districts Tahlequah Public School Pryor Public School Nowata Public Schools Stilwell Public Schools City Governments City of Tahlequah City of Pryor Creek City of Nowata City of Stilwell Community Coalitions Tahlequah BEST Mayes County HOPE Nowata CAN Stilwell CAN

Factors of Success Communities Ready for Change City Leadership Active Community Coalitions Shovel-ready projects Pryor Creek City Planner has not only been a champion in SRTS, but also in complete streets. He proposed a complete streets resolution to Pryor Creek City Council, which helped to spark interest in active modes of transportation planning. Community Coalitions working to improve the health of the community assisted in the planning phases of the Safe Routes to School programs. They were able to provide boots on the ground and funding for projects and events. While writing for SRTS funding, our committee was able to identify several projects that were ready to be implemented. These included signage, raised crosswalks, and education.

Factors of Success Funding Opportunities Strategic Alliance for Health Grant Community Transformation Grant Oklahoma Department of Transportation SRTS Grant

Lessons Learned Funding Action plan Think outside the box Availability Low hanging fruit Action plan Develop a strategic action plan that includes short and long term goals Think outside the box Be creative Availability- what are you going to do when funding is not available? Look for other opportunities- addressing arriving/departure, walking school bus, speaking opportunities, media, etc. Action Plan- sometimes it is easier to work backwards- long term goals then add your steps to achieve those goals. Think outside the box- who else might have a stake in your objective- public health, city planners, stormwater, etc. (example: maple st.)

Wado (Thank you) Learn more about us: Facebook- Cherokee Nation Healthy Nation Twitter- @CNHealthyNation Website- www.cherokeepublichealth.org Hillary Mead hillary-fry@cherokee.org This concludes my presentation and I would like to say wado thank you for letting me share our perspective.