Safe Routes to School (SRTS)
Helping students get physically active while taking cars off the road
Safe Routes to School Upcoming Events
Fairfax County Public Schools Announces Annual Bike & Roll to School Day – May 7th, 2025
Encouraging Healthy Lifestyles and Sustainable Transportation
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is excited to announce the return of its annual Bike & Roll to School Day on Wednesday, May 7th, 2025. The event invites students, families, and staff to leave their cars at home and take to the streets by bike, scooter, skateboard, or foot to promote physical fitness, reduce traffic congestion, and encourage a more sustainable environment.
Bike & Roll to School Day is a fun, community-centered initiative that supports FCPS’ commitment to healthy living, environmental sustainability, and reducing carbon footprints. The event aims to provide an opportunity for students and families to get active while highlighting the benefits of walking and biking as alternative transportation options.
Key Details for Bike & Roll to School Day:
- Date: Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
- Who can participate: All FCPS students, families, and staff
- What to do: Walk, bike, roll, or scoot to school
- Why participate: Promote health, reduce traffic congestion, and support a cleaner environment
How to Get Involved:
- Students are encouraged to organize walking or biking groups with classmates, teachers, and families. School-based events and safety tips will be shared ahead of time.
- Parents and guardians can support their children by joining the ride or walk and ensuring that proper safety gear, including helmets, is worn.
- School staff will provide guidance on safety and help organize fun activities and celebrations at participating schools.
In addition to the health and environmental benefits, the event also promotes road safety awareness. Safe Routes to School will work with local schools to ensure that participants are aware of safe travel practices and rules for biking and walking. This event corresponds with a bicycle segment that is held in many schools PE program.
Safety First: Participants are reminded to wear helmets, follow traffic rules, and use designated bike lanes or sidewalks where available. Schools will provide additional safety information and encourage students to practice safe biking and walking ahead of the event.
For more information about Bike & Roll to School Day or how to get involved, please contact your child’s school or email [email protected].
Puzzle Hunt
We are excited to bring back the 2nd Annual Fairfax County Public Schools Puzzle Hunt this summer! With a focus on community building and outdoor fun, it is a fun, free opportunity for families and friends to solve puzzles together and explore all that our wonderful county has to offer.
Information about the hunt:
- Dates: June 1 - August 15
- Cost: Free
- Open to All
For more information / details you can visit the Hunt’s “How-To Play” page.
It would be wonderful if you could share about the hunt with our community as much as possible starting today. We will send out more information for you to share as the date gets closer.
Plan ahead and think creatively: Last year, some folks created solving teams and scheduled meet-ups to solve together. How will you participate?
Please reach out if you have any questions! [email protected]
About Safe Routes To Schools
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs help students get physically active while taking cars off the road. Over the past four decades:
- The percentage of students who walk and bicycle to school has declined from 48 percent (1969) to 13 percent (2009).
- The percentage of parents using Kiss and Ride has increased.
- Traffic conditions around many schools has gotten worse making it more difficult for student walkers and bicyclists to get to school.
Originally a federally funded program, SRTS is now in schools in every state. Safe Routes to School can:
- Educate students on pedestrian and bicycle safety.
- Help students reach the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
- Help students arrive at school energized and ready to learn.
- Reduce traffic around schools.
- Improve air quality around schools.
About 30 percent of our elementary and middle schools take part in SRTS programs. The goals in FCPS are:
- To increase the number of schools participating.
- To increase the number of students who take part in safe walking and biking activities.
Learn how to get to school safely (PDF)!
Transportation Options
When safe and possible, have your student use active transportation to school, walking, biking, or scootering. Active transportation has many benefits for our students:
- Exercise and fresh air every day for the walkers.
- Get rid of extra energy for better concentration in class.V
- Get to know your neighborhood and feel safe in it.
- Builds your student’s independence and confidence.
- Fewer students being dropped off = fewer cars at school = a safer school zone! • Fewer cars = less pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Walking is free! Driving a vehicle costs money (gas, maintenance)
Kiss and Ride drop-offs have been overwhelmed with cars because of the bus driver shortage. Please consider parking away from school and walking with your student the rest of the way. This way you and your student get in a little exercise. If there is a public parking lot near the school, think about working with your neighbors and start a walking school bus from a remote location.
Student Created Video on Safely Crossing Streets
Does your student know the pedestrian rules for crossing the street? Here is a video made by the students at McNair Upper Elementary.
Alternatives to Driving
Walking Wednesdays are a county-wide initiative in partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority’s Move Your Way and Healthy Strides campaigns. Inova Fairfax and the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax also support the campaign.
Allowing students to bicycle to school promotes physical fitness and helps the student develop a sense of independence. It is the parent’s decision as to when their child is ready to bike to school. Parents may want to follow these guidelines when determining if their child is capable of biking to school:
- Student age, maturity, and physical condition
- Is the route to school along quiet streets?
- Does the school have a bike rack to secure the bicycle and the student has a lock?
- Have you practiced the route to school with your child?
- If your child is more comfortable riding on the sidewalk, remember to yield to pedestrians and give an audible signal when approaching and passing a pedestrian.
- Does your student understand and follow the rules of the road? Stopping at stop signs, riding with traffic, obeying crossing guards, and yielding to pedestrians.
- Students under the age of 15 are required to wear a helmet by Fairfax County law.
- Students should wear bright or reflective clothing.
- Be alert, be predictable, and pay attention to your surroundings.
- As the student approaches their school and encounters more pedestrians, the student should dismount and walk their bike to the bike rack.
- Consider starting a neighborhood bike train to school. Safety in numbers.
Students should not have to complete a permission slip to bike to school. Bicycle safety rodeos can be offered to school communities to ensure students learn bicycle safety skills. Contact the Safe Routes to School coordinator.
The video below of Marshall Road Elementary School students shows a bike train, or some call it a bike bus. It is a great way for kids to get to and from school. It provides students an opportunity to work on their physical, mental, and emotional health. It also reduces the number of cars on the ride and reduces emissions around schools. For help in getting started, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Student Travel Tallies and Parent Surveys
Each fall schools survey their students about their travel to and from school. Collecting tallies on an annual basis is a great way to track the impact of your SRTS program.
A Student Travel Tally is a quick, in-class survey that provides valuable information on how students get to school. For more information on how to conduct a Student Travel Tally or a Parent Survey contact the FCPS Safe Routes to Schools Coordinator.
Community Champions
Community champions are parents or teachers who lead the effort to get more students to walk or bike to school. This can be informal or a formal position in the PTA/PTO. The champion helps to organize Walk to School Day or Bike to School Day events. They can also promote weekly or monthly walking/biking programs. Are you your community’s champion for Safe Routes to School?
Middle School Safe Routes to School video contest winner!
