Contact: Xanthi Soriano, SCOE Executive Communications Director
Office: (916) 228-2713 • Cell (279) 789-1601 • Email: xsoriano@scoe.net
Contact: Joelle Orrock, Coordinator, SCOE Prevention and Early Intervention Department
Office: (916) 228-2418 • Email: jorrock@scoe.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 21, 2022
Thanks to a new $190,000 grant awarded to the Prevention and Early Intervention Department at the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), students in SCOE’s Club Live Program at seven middle school campuses across Sacramento County will lead program activities to increase bicycle and pedestrian safety.
“Every bicyclist and pedestrian should feel safe on the road,” said OTS Director Barbara Rooney. “Education is one of many important tools that collectively work to make sure everyone, regardless of how they travel, reaches their destination safely.”
This is the eighth year SCOE has received the grant and it looks forward to continuing the countywide project. The goal is to help middle school youth develop attitudes and habits that promote lifelong traffic safety values, building a foundation that helps students make safe decisions when they become teen drivers. SCOE, working with Safety Center Incorporated and other community partners, will use the grant in its ongoing efforts with the California OTS to increase bicycle helmet compliance for youth (ages 5 to 18). Funding for the California OTS grant comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and runs through September 2023.
Students will complete a “photovoice” project (researching and representing their findings with photographs), identify safety concerns in their school community, and advocate for changes to be made. They will also educate their peers and families about bicycle and pedestrian safety and helmet use through activities, contests, public service announcements, social media posts, newsletters, and the distribution of safety equipment.
SCOE’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program is a comprehensive safety program that teaches valuable skills for all types of road users. It includes classroom education, community-based presentations and workshops, plus the distribution and proper fitting of bicycle helmets for students and families in need. Bike “rodeos” and family events at Safety Center in Sacramento will encourage safe riding skills. Walking field trips and on-foot safety trainings will also be conducted, giving students an opportunity to practice safe habits with adult supervision.
SCOE and its partners have seen positive results from the safety education efforts. Last school year, classroom presentations reached more than 300 students at the seven participating schools. The program distributed more than 250 helmets at schools and community events. Survey results also demonstrated that the number of students wearing bicycle helmets at school sites increased.
About the Sacramento County Office of Education
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), plays a leadership role in the delivery of quality education to the students in Sacramento County, which is home to the California state capital comprising 1.4 million residents and seven cities. SCOE directly educates more than 30,000 children and adults. It provides support services to more than 243,000 students in 13 school districts, four of which are some of the state’s largest. SCOE provides technical assistance, curriculum and instructional support, staff development, legal and financial advice, and oversight to Sacramento County school districts. Its programs and services are available to schools, districts, and other county offices of education across the region.
Considered a leader of the Capital Service Region, a 10-county area consisting of Alpine, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba Counties, SCOE is one of 58 county offices of education in California. Approximately 650 regular and more than 950 temporary and substitute SCOE staff work year-round providing services which complement and supplement those offered by public school districts in Sacramento County.
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