Kirksville students may have another way of getting to and from school next year.
The Kirksville Public School District is seeking to begin a Walking School Bus program next fall for the 2014 school year. With the interest expressed by Kirksville citizens, the city applied for a grant last November and received $13, 100 from the Safe Routes to School Grant through the Department of Transportation. The city was also awarded with an infrastructure grant that will help to provide safe routes for the walking school bus.
Dr. Neal Chamberlain is the secretary for the Kirksville Board of Education. He said this would not have been possible without the funding.
“This has really been a life-saver,” Chamberlain said. “There are quite a few sidewalks that needed to be built that the city just didn’t have the resources for, with our relatively restricted budget as well as because some of the financial woes the state has had in the past several years."
Sarah Halstead is the Community Services Coordinator for Kirksville. She said the funding will provide crossing guard signs, vests, whistles and a bike rack for students. She said the program functions just like a school bus.
