Board members for the Wake County Public School System recently approved a new
policy that will affect how students get to and from school. Administrators said the policy was
originally proposed and is now being enforced by school officials on students who get to school
by means other than buses or cars, such as walking or biking. The district currently provides
transportation to school in accordance with state and board policy, but this new policy allows
students in grades 2 and older to ride to school without an adult.
However, Wake County Public School System principals may adopt individual guidelines
that limit high risks and safety concerns for students of certain ages. In addition, parents and
guardians of students whose school system does not provide transportation for their students, or
who choose not to use school transportation when provided, are responsible for the safe
transportation of their students to and from school.
In January of 2021, six members of the House of Representatives introduced bill
H.R.386: Safe Routes to School Expansion Act. While addressing barriers to commuting to
school is the primary motivation behind introducing the Safe Routes to School Expansion Act,
similarly, this bill focuses on obstacles such as traffic congestion and safety concerns. In
addition, these initiatives improve safety and levels of physical activity for students. The
following branches may implement SRTS (Safe Routes to School) programs: the Department of
Transportation, metropolitan planning agencies, local government, school districts, and schools.
Legislative Bill
“If one desires to change current policy, a solution needs to be ready to link to the new
opportunity. It is too late to design a new policy once the equilibrium is being punctured. If one
opposes the shifting image, it is probably too late to stop change, so proponents of the current
image must be always reinforcing what they see as the benefits of the status quo” (McNutt, J. G.,
& Hoefer, R. (2020). Introduced on January 21, 2021, to the House of Representatives by Rep.
Anthony G. Brown, bill H.R.386: Safe Routes to School Expansion Act was presented to the
Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
Bill Summary
The Safe Routes to School program, introduced by the House of Representatives, was
initially proposed in January 2021 to benefit children in elementary, middle, and high schools.
The focus of the program is to support and encourage all children, including those with
disabilities, to walk and cycle to school. As well as encouraging independence, the program aims
to encourage healthy and active lifestyles from an early age by making cycling and walking to
school safe a more attractive mode of transport. Subsequently, the final purpose of the program is
to promote the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that
increase safety and reduce transportation, fuel consumption, and air pollution near schools.
Policy Timeline or Background
As mentioned earlier, bill H.R.386: Safe Routes to School Expansion Act was introduced
in and by the House on January 21, 2021. Subsequently, the bill was referred on the same day to
the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The following Representatives
cosponsored the bill: Rep. Jared Huffman and Rep. Julia Brownley from California, Rep. Andre
Carson of Indiana, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada, Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, and Rep.
Steve Cohen of Tennessee. From there, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
referred said bill exactly two weeks later (February 04, 2021) to the Subcommittee on Highways
and Transit (H.R.386 - 117th Congress (2021-2022).
Theory or Policy Strategy Approach
“Policies address the key issues that involve what you can do as a citizen and a social
worker, including how you can influence policy and assist people on community, state, national,
or international levels. (McNutt, J. G., & Hoefer, R. (2020). After careful consideration, I have
chosen the Opportunity Theory. The textbook states that the assumption of this theory is that
“people will seek opportunities through pathways in society. If legitimate pathways are blocked
then they will take illegitimate pathways such as crime and violence.”” It goes on to explain that
through the creation of pathways, this strategy will “build parallel structures and break down
unfair structures Legal efforts/Negotiation” (McNutt, J. G., & Hoefer, R. (2020).
It is no secret that education is crucial to preparing for the world of digital frugality which
will not happen if students are unable to safely attend school. Those who must commute through
neighborhoods that have higher rates for drug abuse, crime and violence are more likely to miss
school. Longer routes to avoid high-crime areas can help students avoid stress or danger on the
way to school but may also negatively increase the risk of truancy.
“The term ‘Safe Routes to School’ encompasses any effort to promote safe walking and
cycling to school. A comprehensive SRTS program, however, involves a suite of coordinated
efforts designed to ‘create safe, convenient and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk
to and from their schools” (Larouche, R. (Ed.). (2018). However, politically, this has become a
delicate problem to conquer. Being that there are numerous reasons for this, the United States
lagging behind more advanced countries is the most prevalent.
Making our education system more competitive will require change at multiple levels
including collaborating with transportation officials to include school hours in the bus and train
schedules. Additionally, teachers and attendance officers should be routinely trained to monitor
transportation issues when students are repeatedly absent and include transportation in their
attendance planning.
13 Grand Challenges
As it pertains to bill H.R.386: Safe Routes to School Expansion Act, I believe that the
grand challenges that best relates is, (1) advance long and productive lives, and (2) create social
responses to a changing environment.
In order to better support their clients, social workers must keep up with the ever-
changing society that continues to change at a rapid pace. While many challenges remain, these
agents of change have developed strategies to remove barriers to a just and inclusive society with
their experience, adequate training and positive attitudes. Created and defined by the American
Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW), the 13 Grand Challenges of Social
Work were designed to bring the public together to solve problems and build a better society.
Studies find that long commutes have a negative impact on children's well-being,
particularly sleep and exercise. Since we cannot magically bring all students closer to school, the
Safe Routes to School initiative aims to improve student safety and levels of physical activity,
address chronic conditions, reduce automobile injuries and deaths, and the impact of vehicles on
air pollution.
Improving air quality and green spaces is not only good for the environment, but also for
the physical and mental health of students. Not surprisingly, changing the way students commute
to and from school can play a vitally important role in protecting Earth’s system of natural
resources. More importantly, those students who commute through drug and crime-infested
References
H.R.386 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Safe Routes to School Expansion Act. (2021, February
4). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/386
Larouche, R. (Ed.). (2018). Children’s Active Transportation. Elsevier.
McNutt, J. G., & Hoefer, R. (2020). Social Welfare Policy (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press
Academic US. https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/books/9780197543832
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