Sudbury Student Services Consortium offers first-time walker training

Teaching kids how to walk to school safely With students preparing to head back to school soon, the Sudbury Student Services Consortium is preparing to host walker training.

With students preparing to head back to school soon, the Sudbury Student Services Consortium is preparing to host walker training.

The goal is to help new students learn how to get to school safely.

“We're going to show them how to properly walk when there's a sidewalk, when there is no sidewalk and we're going to show them how to properly cross the road, what to look out for when they're walking,” said Renée Boucher, the consortium's executive director.

"People coming out of their driveways and just different things like that, what they should be looking for … And we're also going to bring in the winter -- what to do when there's snow and snowbanks."

Boucher said students in junior and senior Kindergarten are the only children eligible for transportation, no matter the distance.

“Grades 1-3 students, if they live within one kilometre from the school, then they are not eligible for transportation," she said.

"For Grades 4-8, the distance is 1.6 kilometres and then for our high school students, it's 2.5 kilometres.”

The training will be done in collaboration with representatives from the city and the health unit.

“Public Health is particularly invested in this program because it promotes physical activity among children and that's on a daily basis walking to and from school," said Carol Craig, a public health nurse with Public Health Sudbury and Districts.

"(It) has multiple benefits, including improving physical and mental well-being. It can foster independence, confidence, and life skills. It can also enhance the social interaction between children and the connections with peers, increasing awareness of their environment and the safety features in that environment."

Northern police are also reminding motorists to exercise increased caution as students return to school.

“Remember that children can be unpredictable and may enter roadways with little to no warning, so be vigilant and exercise caution when children are on sidewalks," said North Bay police spokesperson David Wooley.

"As students return to school, members of the North Bay Police Service will be conducting enhanced road safety patrols to catch dangerous drivers.”

To sign up for the training, click here.