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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Across North Texas, parents are keeping a close eye on kids as they go to and from school today. It’s National Walk to School Day and that has many youngsters heading out on foot.
In Dallas some parents said the event is as much about safety as it is exercise. In fact, with the recent clowns threats in the back of their minds, some parents had extra motivation to get in step with their kids this morning.
Thirty years ago, 60-percent of elementary school kids walked to school.
Today that number is less than 15 percent. The focus of Walk to School Day is to build awareness for the need for walkable communities.
Blue Zones Project – Fort Worth is working to change that statistic with what’s known as ‘walking school buses’. Blue Zones areas are pockets of the world where people are most likely to live to 100-years-old and beyond.
The Fort Worth Independent School District shared a video on YouTube that shows the benefits of walking to school.
Walking school buses are kind of like a carpool without a car. Neighborhood kids meet a parent or city leader and walk safely along a planned route.
A number of moms and dads in Dallas walked their kids today too. Mother Deja Roofener said she never lets her daughter strike out alone. “It’s really convenient to walk here everyday with them, because I just don’t feel safe with her by herself.”
As for those clown threats administrators with the Dallas and Fort Worth Independent School Districts say they are monitoring the reports, but so far everything they’ve investigated has been a hoax.
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