"but some of the administrators wanted Principals to have a policy they could enforce if they saw very young children riding who were obviously not ready to ride by themselves"
I would point out that children riding by themselves is not inherently unsafe - it is the presence of inattentive drivers that is the cause of the problem, and the policy of the MMSD to insist on locating schools on busy streets for convenient motor-vehicle drop-off that creates the danger to children who are walking and biking. I'd like to give principals a policy they can enforce if they see drivers who are not capable of sustaining the level of attentiveness required to operate their vehicles safely. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sonia Dubielzig Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 11:09 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Bikies] Updated MMSD policy I guess I should toot my own horn here. Previously, the policy stated: A pupil under the age of ten shall not ride a bicycle to school. a. The PRINCIPAL may make exception upon written request of a parent. b. The PRINCIPAL may forbid bicycles on school grounds. I started in my position at MMSD in August 2012, and changing this policy was one of the first things I started working on. Surveys and conversations with parents and Principals at the school level showed that there was widespread awareness of the policy, and most thought it should be changed. At the District level, most administrators were unaware of the policy and/or not sure why it was there in the first place. Most other school districts in Dane County don't have any language on student bicycle use in their board policies at all. I would have preferred eliminating the policy altogether from MMSD's policies, but some of the administrators wanted Principals to have a policy they could enforce if they saw very young children riding who were obviously not ready to ride by themselves. The process to change it was very slow, but at no point did I really experience any resistance to changing it. In fact, when the Board of Education operations committee approved the change (unanimously and without discussion), they told me, "Thank you for what you are doing!" This blew my supervisor's mind, because she was not used to getting that warm reception from the BOE herself. Sonia -- Safe Routes to School Coordinator Madison Metropolitan School District 608-663-5454 [email protected] https://tnlweb.madison.k12.wi.us/saferoutes
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