Walking School Bus program slated
Program to begin Oct. 9 for elementary students at Abram Lansing and Harmony Hill
COHOES, N. Y. » The Cohoes City School District, in partnership with St. Peter’s Health Partners Community Health Programs, is launching a new Walking School Bus on Oct. 9 for elementary students who attend Abram Lansing and Harmony Hill schools.
District officials said the Walking School Bus is a group of children walking to school together with adult supervision, with students \ picked up at their front door. The concept was developed to provide children a safe, consistent system to walk to school on a regular basis, even when traffic, weather and crime are concerns.
Secondary benefits include less traffic congestion around the school, extra time for parents in the morning hours, reduced air pollution and a shared sense of community among parents, students and members of the surrounding community.
The program only operates along safe routes with proper crosswalks, traffic signs and sidewalks and allows children of all age groups to participate. Coordinators and all volunteers are vetted with a full background check, and trained on proper pedestrian safety.
District officials say they also hope to see an additional benefit, helping to battle a chronic absenteeism issue, especially in younger grades.
“As part of the district’s commitment to addressing chronic absenteeism and promoting our Every Minute Matters attendance campaign, we are excited about the launch of the Walking School Bus in Cohoes,” district Superintendent Jennifer Spring said. “This program builds a healthy community and offers parents a convenient option for getting their children safely to school on time. It is just another example that proves when we work together, great things happen for our students.”
Officials said coordinators and volunteers pick students up at their front door and stay with them until arriving at school. As more students participate, more volunteers will be recruited.
The program will operate during most weather conditions when schools remains open, but people will be notified in a reasonable amount of time in the event of cancellation. Proper equipment will be used to ensure volunteers and children are visible in any weather condition, but parents and other caregivers are advised to dress children accordingly.
The coordinator will assign pickup times for each house to ensure prompt arrival at school and allow enough time to eat breakfast each morning.
District officials said a registration form was sent home with all students at the beginning of the school year. If families missed it, they can reach out to the school’s coordinators: Stacy Smith at Harmony Hill at ssmith@ cohoes. org or Abram Lansing’s Kathy Baez at kbaez@cohoes.org.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the program can sign up online for Harmony Hill Elementary School at www. cohoes. org/ Safety/ WSBvolunteerformHH.cfm or for Abram Lansing Elementary School at www. cohoes. org/ Safety/ WSBvolunteerformAL.cfm.