1. Direction through Policy: Strategies for Working with Schools & Examples from the Field
Trish Sanchez, Project Coordinator, NJ SRTS Resource Center
Lisa Lee, NJ SRTS Coordinator, EZ Ride
Sean Schweitzer, NJ SRTS Coordinator, Cross County Connection

2. What do we need from Boards of Education (BOEs)?
Pass Resolutions of Support for SRTS – infrastructure grants, recognition
Adopt Supportive Policy:
Comprehensive School Wellness policy
Support for active transportation to school
School location, siting and design

3. What do we need from BOEs?
Adopting Supportive Policy:
Comprehensive School Wellness policy includes not just nutrition (mandatory) but also:
Quality physical education
More recess
In class physical activity and movement
Before and after school physical activity
Access to playgrounds, sports fields outside school hours.
Walking and bicycling to school
And hopefully change the culture of the school.

4. What do we need from BOEs?
Adopting Supportive Policy:
Support for active transportation to school
Walking, Bicycling, skateboarding, scootering, etc.
Standardize transportation safety rules for district
Minimize liability by stating roles of students, parents, school

5. What do we need from BOEs?
Adopting Supportive Policy:
School location, siting and design – where to locate schools
Locate schools within communities
Minimize transportation/busing costs
Encourage diversity by siting on border between different socio-economic, racial, ethnic groups, etc.
*ChangeLab Solutions, Safe Routes National Partnership and NJ Safe Routes to School all have sample model policies.
And hopefully change the culture of the school.
If these are passed, then Administration at each school must work to support and implement these policies.

6. Strategies for Outreach to BOEs
Do homework on the BOE
Understand the district
Research BOE members
Watch meetings online
Attend a board meeting
Find agenda online
Public Comment
After board meeting
Find a local champion:
Parent/Teacher who knows the superintendent or BOE member
Passionate teacher/advocate
Get to know the school district and school board before hand. What’s their culture? Priorities?
Find the agenda on the website – get a feel for what the board and school culture is like. Meet with them afterwards to introduce yourself. Public comment section of the meeting can introduce.
People who attend school board meetings are heavily involved in the schools – same people come each time.
Watch the board meetings online also

7. When to work with BOEs? Timing (in NJ):
Avoid: March – April is school budget review and submission period.
Avoid: June – End of the year activities, graduations*
Summer is an ideal time to reach the school board.
* Difficult time to contact boards, but may be an ideal time for going into schools and offering programs.
Don’t give up – be persistent.
After testing, teachers and principals are interested in pedestrian and bike safety as more students are walking and bicycling to school.

8. Contact the BOE Who are the key School Board contacts?
Reach out to any Board member.
If you can reach the Board President, s/he is the ideal contact.
Contact the Vice President for matters of policy.

9. 6
Messages for BOEs 1
Students who walk and bike to school simply learn better 2
Adopting policy minimizes liability concerns 3
Pedestrian & Bike Safety is life skill for Students 4
Prepare students to walk during busing cuts 5
Address sustainability/environmental concerns 6
Improve Air Quality for Students and Staff

10. 1 Students who walk and bike to school simply learn better
Increased physical activity = improved academic performance (Egelund et al. 2012):
More attentive and better able to concentrate
Advanced ability to concentrate by half school year
More beneficial for mental development than breakfast
I work for Rutgers University so we have tons of research to back this up.
School Boards first and foremost care about academic success

11. 1
Students who walk and bike to school simply learn better

12. 1
Students who walk and bike to school simply learn better

13. 2 Adopting Policy minimizes liability concerns
Encourages active travel to and from school
Confirms mode of transportation as parents’ decision not the school’s
Identifies roles and responsibilities for travel to school
Policy clearly defines roles and responsibilities – parents choose how students get to school. Schools are not liable when students travel to school unless they are bused. Some schools in NJ ban bikes which is not their power.

14. 3 4 5 6 Messages for BOE Prepare students to walk during busing cuts
Pedestrian & Bike Safety is a life skill for Students 4
Prepare students to walk during busing cuts 5
NJ is the most densely populated state in the country and there are instances of student fatalities and injuries while walking to school or the bus stop. Pedestrian and bicycle safety education becomes important when it hits home.
In HP, when courtesy busing was cut, and worked with PTO to start walking school buses which still run today.
Sustainability – more cars off the road, less traffic congestion.
Less cars means less air pollution
Address sustainability/environmental concerns 6
Improve Air Quality for Students and Staff

15. Whom should you work with in schools?
Anyone who is interested!
Principal
Assistant Principal
Physical Education teacher
Teacher advocate
School Nurse
Transportation Coordinator

16. Strategies for working with schools
Find a Champion.
Work closely with School Wellness Councils, etc.
Get to know the school community.
Find programs that fit their needs.
Get your foot in the door.

17. Working with Schools in the Field
Farmingdale, NJ
School Health Council started 2011
Walk 2 School Day monthly -> Walk 2 School Wednesdays
Walking School Bus

18. Working with Schools in the Field
Asbury Park, NJ
School Health Council - Partnership with SRTS
SRTS Recognition Award winner
Oct Complete Streets Muni Policy
Applying for SRTS grant -> Policy is with BOE for approval

19. Working with Schools in the Field
Texas Avenue School (Atlantic City, NJ)
Established SRTS program and in beginning stages of creating a sustainable program
Gym teacher interested in an afterschool bike program on boardwalk
Texas Avenue School has established a SRTS program and is still in the process of creating a sustainable program
They have held walk and bike to school events as well as held a presentation to 3rd and 4th grade students on bike and pedestrian safety when going to school.
The Champion for the school is the gym teacher who is very active with the program and also creating an afterschool biking program for students on the boardwalk which is a couple of blocks away.

20. Working with Schools in the Field
Texas Avenue School (Atlantic City, NJ)
Town ordinance not allowing bikes on boardwalk during specific time.
Reached out to the local SRTS coordinator, advocacy groups, and other municipal officials in order to change the ordinance.
The champion at Texas Avenue had trouble initially setting up the program due to an ordinance not allowing bicycles on the boardwalk at the specific time she wanted to conduct the program afterschool
She reached out to me, the SRTS coordinator, municipality officials, and advocacy groups within southern New Jersey to figure away to change the ordinance.
The Superintendent was against the changing of the ordinance and so the champion reached out for assistance as to who to contact next. Ended up getting support from parents and other municipal officials who helped get the ordinance changed.
Ultimately, the City ended up changing the ordinance allowing bicyclists for the program to be able to utilize the boardwalk after school
Texas Avenue Walk to School Day spring 2015

21. Working with Schools in the Field
National Park Elementary (National Park, NJ)
Established and sustainable SRTS program
Walking school district
Majority of students are driven to school Student travel tallies results: 65% driven to school 25% walk to school 2% bike to school.
National Park Elementary has an established SRTS program and has held multiple walk and bike to school events. They are a walking district. Majority of students are driven to school.
Conducted Student Travel Tally for a week which showed 65% of students are driven to school and 25% walk to school, and 2% bike to school.
Recently conducted a walking audit around the school and on major and minor corridors.

22. Working with Schools in the Field
National Park Elementary (National Park, NJ)
Problem with dismissal times
Congested roads & hazardous for students walking and biking
Discussed with the SRTS team about creating a staggered dismissal policy for the school

23. Working with Schools in the Field
National Park Elementary (National Park, NJ)
In process of creating a plan to have a trial staggered dismissal to relieve traffic congestion
If successful, dismissal policy change will be reflected in the school handbook next year.
The principal was interested in trying out a staggered dismissal procedure to see if it would help alleviate traffic congestion and also help to make dismissal safer for students walking and biking home.
If the trial run is successful, they will change the dismissal procedure policy in the student handbook that students are given at the beginning of each school year.

24. Any questions, please contact us
Trish Sanchez:
Lisa Lee:
Sean Schweitzer: