Incorporating Safe Routes to School into Local School Wellness Policies

All school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program are required to adopt a local school wellness policy that addresses nutrition and physical activity.

This requirement reflects the essential role schools play in promoting student health and preventing childhood obesity. School districts can enable and encourage kids to be physically active on a daily basis by including Safe Routes to School (SRTS) in their local school wellness policies.

SRTS programs allow children to bike and walk to school safely and easily. By walking or bicycling to school, children can easily incorporate exercise into their day and increase their overall physical activity. Incorporating SRTS into school wellness policies helps parents, teachers, and school district staff understand how helping students bike and walk to school can increase their physical activity and create a healthier school environment.

We developed this model policy language for school districts that are interested in demonstrating strong support for SRTS in their local school wellness policy.