Walking school bus is a safe option

Reading the May 5 article, “Kids' walk to new school worries Iowa City parents,” I was surprised to see that the initiative by Iowa Safe Routes to School Director Nick Sobocinski to start a walking school bus was not mentioned as an option for the students of Horn Elementary.

Sobocinski brought this idea to the Garner Elementary Parent Teacher Organization in November 2011 and the PTO was able to get the Walking School Bus up and running by late March. Some of the parent objections we had to overcome were similar to those at Horn Elementary. One of our biggest objections was that some parents felt it was too far for their kids to walk. The majority of Garner Elementary kids walk along Front Street, one of the busier streets, specifically in the mornings and afternoons.

Most concerning to Garner parents was the idea of students crossing Highway 965. Sobocinski was able to go to the city of North Liberty and achieve no-cost solutions that were acceptable to our parents. On our first day we had about 70 students walking, and as I write this, we have 119! That's about 25 percent of our total school enrollment. Most important, the kids love it!

I urge Horn Elementary parents to keep an open mind when considering how their children will get to school next year. I t believe you will find the Walking School Bus is just the answer you are looking for.

Amy Nielsen

North Liberty