Town Seeks More Walking School Buses

The town is seeking more volunteers to form Walking School Bus routes.

Councilman Mark Ciarrocca made the announcement during Tuesday evening's Town Council meeting, noting that the town has 12 routes currently in existence. The announcement came as Ciarrocca was announcing last week's Walk to School Day in town.

The Walking School Bus program consists of parents working to develop organized walking routes for children. Similar to traditional school bus routes, the program has designated stops along the route where children wait to be picked up. A parent volunteer usually leads the route while dressed in safety gear.

The Walk to School Day is held every September to encourage students to walk to school. Several students around town won raffles which allowed them to walk to school with a local celebrity. Celebrity walkers included Mayor Andy Skibitsky, Police Chief John Parizeau, Fire Chief Dan Kelly and public safety officers in town. All children who walked to school received a t-shirt and the ability to sign a banner at their school.

Ciarrocca said in addition to the dozen existing routes, several more are currently under discussion. Residents interested in creating a Walking School Bus route can contact Ciarrocca via e-mail at mciarrocca@westfieldnj.gov to obtain more information.

"It is real exciting to see more children walking to school," he said.