Contact: Xanthi Soriano, SCOE Executive Communications Director
Office: (916) 228-2713 • Cell (916) -6219 • Email: xsoriano@scoe.net
Contact: Alicia Williams, Coordinator, SCOE Prevention and Early Intervention Department
Office: (916) 228-2418 • Email: alicia.williams@scoe.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Thanks to a new $188,000 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.
“The safety of people walking and biking on our roads is a top priority for our office,” OTS Director Stephanie Dougherty said. “Everyone moves, and not always by car. It’s important that we invest in efforts to protect people walking, biking, and rolling that help establish a strong traffic safety culture where everyone on California roads can travel to and from places safely.”
SCOE has been a recipient of this grant since 2015 and it looks forward to continuing the important 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 2025.
Students will complete a pre- and post-observational survey, 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 school-based activities, contests, public service announcements, social media posts, newsletters, and the distribution of safety equipment. School sites will also receive crossing guard kits, including stop signs, electronic whistles, sandwich board signs, and reflective vests.
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, allowing students to practice safe habits with adult supervision.
SCOE and its partners have seen positive results from the safety education efforts. Last school year, classroom and community presentations reached more than 900 individuals. The program distributed more than 225 helmets at seven participating schools and community events, and more than 100 students participated in on-foot safety trainings. Survey results also demonstrated that the number of students wearing bicycle helmets at school sites increased as did safe walking practices.