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Students will be back to school soon and many will be getting there on foot or bike. The Safe Routes to School Committee (SRTS) works year-round to make it safer and easier for children to walk and bike to and from school. Studies have found that physical activity, such as walking or biking to school, allows students to concentrate better during the school day. And while many students in our county do not live in Grand Marais, some walk or bike to an afterschool destination in Grand Marais. In the upcoming weeks, crosswalk repainting, Slow Down lawn signs, an additional speed feedback sign, and school zone speed and crosswalk enforcements will be at work to remind our community of the upcoming start of the school year and drive carefully to keep students safe.
The SRTS Committee hopes to revive our Walk and Roll Wednesday group, a weekly walk or bike to school club. Follow our Facebook page for updated information, or if you would like to volunteer as a weekly walk group leader. www. facebook.com/cookcountyshipsaferoutestoschool
For safety, it is recommended that you pick a route with your child and test it out together. Once a student and parent/guardian set a route, it is best that the student follows it consistently so that an adult knows where the student is traveling. The SRTS recommended walking route map is on your school’s website or available upon request from the SRTS Coordinator.
Please note that the Safe Routes to School group, Minnesota Department of Health, and Statewide Health Improvement Program work together to encourage walking and bicycling to school, but do not ensure safety or assume liability for anyone’s commute to or from school.
Another important piece of Safe Routes to School is school bus safety. Please be mindful around school buses. Remember that you must stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus that has its stop arm out and red lights flashing. You will need to wait until the stop arm is up and the red lights are no longer flashing before you can move forward. Please help us keep our students safe this year!
The SRTS Committee worked through 2020-2021 to have the school zone officially designated by the County Commissioners. We thank all of the people that helped make this process a success. Watch for new signage going up between the fall of this year and spring of next year!
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