The 2019-2020 school year kicked off with more than 1,100 K-8 students across Hunterdon County participating in International Walk (Bike) to School Day.

International Walk to School Day (I-WALK) is a global event that involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day. Students at Barley Sheaf Elementary School (Raritan Twp), Bloomsbury Elementary School, Califon Public School, Clinton Public School, Delaware Township Elementary School, Frenchtown Elementary School, Hampton Public School, High Bridge Elementary School, Lambertville Public School, Lebanon Borough School, Milford Public School, and Reading-Fleming Intermediate School walked to school on designated days.

Hunterdon I-WALK celebrations included the launch of hashtag message campaigns that will continue throughout the school year. Each school will develop their own safety hashtags to promote walk and bike to school safety messaging for upcoming seasonal walk and bike to school events. The hashtags will be included on school websites and social media, shared in the virtual backpacks sent to parents, and printed tags will be distributed to students to display on their backpacks.

Safe Routes to School is a federally funded program, administered by the NJ Department of Transportation, and facilitated locally by goHunterdon. The goals of the program are simple~ “Where it is safe, get kids walking or bicycling; where it is not safe, make it safe.” goHunterdon facilitates Safe Routes to  School Programming in Hunterdon County.

For more information on the Hunterdon County Safe Routes to School Program, contact Ryan Fisher, Pedestrian and Bicycle Programs Coordinator, rfisher@gohunterdon.org.