- Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Media Contact for MassDOT Expands Safe Routes to School with 72 Additional Schools
Jacquelyn Goddard, Director of Communications, MassDOT
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) reported today that its Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program continues to grow and make a difference as the 2023-2024 academic year comes to an end, with 72 additional schools joining SRTS since last September. The total number of partner schools across Massachusetts is now 1,171, located in 284 communities and serving approximately 590,000 students. The program has seen consistent annual growth in its number of school partners for the past 19 years.
Sponsored by MassDOT and with funds from the Federal Highway Administration, the Massachusetts SRTS Program promotes safer routes for students to get to school through a focus on the six E's: Education, Encouragement, Evaluation, Engagement, Engineering, and Equity. The program hosts annual flagship events such as Massachusetts’ Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day in May.
“I want to commend our Safe Routes to School Program team for their dedication to safety and for finishing the school year strong as SRTS continues to expand its network across Massachusetts,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Parents deserve to have peace of mind when it comes to students walking and biking to school, and SRTS will continue to work with school communities to help make our roadways more equitable for different modes of transportation.”
This year’s Nikki Tishler Memorial Award winner, Jenn Martin from Newton, commented on the evolution of the Safe Routes to School program, ”In my decade-plus of involvement with Safe Routes to School, I have seen Newton's Safe Routes work evolve and, as the new Director of Transportation Planning for the City of Newton, am now working with high school students who are demanding that our local, state and federal governments do a better job of providing them with the tools, education, and infrastructure that they need to be able to independently navigate the built world. It is inspiring, and we have so much more to do!”
The Nikki Tishler Memorial Award recognizes an individual or group of individuals who served as true champions of Safe Routes to School over the past school year, making the extra effort to ensure a successful program in their community.
Dennis Geniuch, Director of Health and Wellness at Brockton Public Schools, said, “I would like to express my thanks for the wonderful partnership between MassDOT and the Brockton Public Schools. The Safe Routes to School program provided opportunities for students K-12 that have enriched our Health and Wellness curriculum and increased awareness and opportunity for the students in Brockton.”
Matt Behnke, an educator at Conte Community School in Pittsfield, said “It was so inspiring to see all the other ways that schools and communities are promoting safe access on foot and by bike. And it definitely reenergized me to continue this work in the years ahead.”
Conte Community School received the Exemplary Program Award for the Western Region this year at the SRTS Annual Awards Ceremony.
The 72 schools that joined SRTS since the start of the school year last September include:
- Amherst Regional Middle School, Amherst
- Belmont High School, Belmont
- Belmont Middle School, Belmont
- Benjamin F. Butler Middle School, Lowell
- Berkley Middle School, Berkley
- Boston Green Academy, Boston
- Bourne High School, Bourne
- Bridgewater Middle School, Bridgewater
- Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, Bridgewater
- Broad Meadows Middle School, Quincy
- Brooke Roslindale (Brooke Charter Schools), Boston
- Burncoat Prep Elementary School, Worcester
- Burncoat Senior High School, Worcester
- Charlotte M. Murkland Elementary School, Lowell
- Charlton Middle School, Charlton
- Chelsea High School, Chelsea
- Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Chicopee
- Chicopee High School, Chicopee
- Concord Carlisle High School, Concord
- Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, South Yarmouth
- Dr. An Wang Middle School, Lowell
- Duxbury High School, Duxbury
- Easthampton High School, Easthampton
- English High School, Boston
- Flagg Street School, Worcester
- Framingham High School, Framingham
- Franklin Early Childhood Center, Melrose
- General John Nixon Elementary School, Sudbury
- George H Mitchell Elementary School, Bridgewater
- Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical School, New Bedford
- Grew Elementary School, Boston
- Hampden Charter School of Science - East, Chicopee
- Harold L Qualters Middle School, Mansfield
- Holyoke High School, Holyoke
- Holyoke STEM Academy, Holyoke
- Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton
- James F. Sullivan Middle School, Lowell
- Joseph Metcalf School, Holyoke
- Josiah Quincy Upper School, Boston
- Kenny Elementary School, Boston
- Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, Lenox
- Lester J. Gates Middle School, Scituate
- Lille B. Merrill Elementary School, Raynham
- Lt Elmer J McMahon Elementary School, Holyoke
- Mansfield High School, Mansfield
- Melrose High School, Melrose
- Memorial Early Childhood Center, Middleborough
- Mendell Elementary School, Boston
- Middleborough High School, Middleborough
- Murdock High School, Winchendon
- New Citizens Center School, Worcester
- New Heights Charter School, Brockton
- Northampton High School, Northampton
- Norton High School, Norton
- Oxford High School, Oxford
- Quaboag Regional Middle High School, Warren
- R.H. Conwell Elementary School, Worthington
- Raynham Middle School, Raynham
- Salem Prep High School, Salem
- Scituate High School, Scituate
- Shepherd Hill Regional High School, Dudley
- Somerset Berkley Regional High School, Somerset
- Stoneham High School, Stoneham
- Stoughton High School, Stoughton
- Tantasqua Regional Junior High School, Sturbridge
- Therapeutic Day School, Bridgewater
- Trotter K-8 School, Boston
- Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, Bourne
- West Tatnuck Elementary School, Worcester
- Westborough High School, Westborough
- William G Vinal Elementary School, Norwell
- Williams Intermediate School, Raynham
Additional SRTS success metrics include:
- 779 “Walk and Roll to School” events in the 2023-2024 academic year.
- 329 bicycle and pedestrian safety sessions hosted virtually and in-person in the 2023-2024 academic year.
- 257 alliance partners who extend the reach and support of Safe Routes to School programming; examples include libraries, bike/pedestrian advocacy groups, and afterschool and summer programs.
- 80+ infrastructure projects completed and/or in progress designed for students to safely walk and bike to school since the program’s inception.
The Walk and Roll to School events come from the number of school registrations SRTS received for its three flagship day events (iWalk in October; Winter Walk & Roll in February; and Massachusetts Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day in May). More information about these flagship events can be found here.
Summer with Safe Routes to School
Throughout the summer, the SRTS team continues its outreach, hosting Bike Rodeos, pedestrian safety classes, and other events that teach students about safe and active trips.
The Bike Rodeos are an interactive way to teach students the rules of the road while practicing safe bicycling skills. The rodeo format incorporates stations along a loop course that simulates a neighborhood environment. More information about the Bike Rodeos can be found here.
During the school year, the Program offers pedestrian and bicycle training activities, walk and bike assessments, and arrival/dismissal observations at schools. SRTS works with schools and their local communities to help customize safety-focused activities, provide resources to help facilitate safe student travel, and offer one-on-one assistance for each school's specific needs. By fostering partnerships between advocacy groups, municipal officials, law enforcement, education leaders, and public health departments, the program currently serves over 1,170 public elementary, middle, and high schools in over 280 communities across the Commonwealth.
For more information on Massachusetts Safe Routes to School visit:
www.mass.gov/safe-routes-to-school
www.facebook.com/SafeRoutes.MA
www.linkedin.com/company/ma-safe-routes-to-school
For more MassDOT news and updates visit:
www.mass.gov/blog/transportation
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Media Contact for MassDOT Expands Safe Routes to School with 72 Additional Schools
