Peeples Elementary and Rising Starr Middle schools have become partners with Georgia’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.

SRTS works with elementary and middle schools to create opportunities and activities for children to safely walk and bike to school who live within a 2-mile radius. Schools that become partners receive support from the program’s resource center to help them teach students and parents about walking and biking safety, encourage students to walk and bike to school and methods that can be used to measure the number of students walking and biking.

Both Peeples and Rising Starr are partners at the Silver Level, meaning they have SRTS programs in place. Schools at this level are required to develop a SRTS Travel Plan (per Georgia’s SRTS Guidebook) and implement a SRTS event, sustain at least one on-going program to encourage walking and/or biking or conduct a classroom based program to educate children on safe walking and/or biking behaviors.

Fayette County was among 13 communities in the state to receive SRTS funding in June. The funding will be used for infrastructure projects at Peeples and Rising Starr including construction of a multiuse path, building of a bridge over a creek and installation of pedestrian sidewalks.