Thousands of elementary, middle and high school students throughout Riverside County skipped riding to school Wednesday in a vehicle and instead strolled or rolled with their parents, guardians, teachers and others in recognition of National Walk & Roll to School Day.
“Walk to School Day is a great opportunity to walk and talk and give our kids a great send-off for the day,” Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina said. “Thank you to all the county schools, students and families who made this event happen.”
Youths from nearly four dozen schools countywide participated in the annual event, during which parents, teachers and community-based volunteers form “walking school buses” to shepherd children to their campuses, according to organizers. Some students also rode bicycles.
The Riverside University Health System estimated about 16,000 county residents joined the outing on Wednesday morning in Indio, Jurupa Valley, Menifee, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Perris, Riverside, Temecula, Winchester and surrounding communities.
“Every year, we enjoy seeing our students walking to school as part of this important day,” RUHS Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said. “We hope this will become a fun activity that can happen every day, along with making best choices for healthy bodies and minds.”
Officials said walking programs promote a reduction in childhood obesity and stress the importance of pedestrian access and safety on traffic corridors.
Schools countywide were encouraged to consider organizing additional walks this month to reaffirm the importance of exercise and designating “safe routes” for kids going to and from campuses.