Local Students Walk & Roll on Walk to School Day

Firefighters of the Prince William County Fire and Rescue System will join students, from selective schools around the county, to celebrate International Walk to School Day. Although the official event occurs on Wednesday, Oct., Prince William County schools will be extending the activity throughout the month known as “Walktober”.

The Walk to School Day/Walktober event will begin at various times corresponding with the school’s opening. Students, along with parents, and community leaders will walk from meeting points along the walker’s route. Walkers at some schools will be joined by Fire & Rescue personnel as they exit the buses and enter the schools for the day. The event raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for our children when walking and biking. In addition, it emphasizes important issues as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. International Walk to School Day is a global event involving communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day.

“Communities deserve safe places to walk and bike,” states Chief Tom LaBelle of the Prince William County Fire & Rescue System. “What better place to start than with our children who travel to and from school, nine months out of the year. Participation in Walk to School activities, by our schools, not only heightens the importance of safe routes, daily, to and from school, but encourages students to be active and healthy. These events build connections between families, schools, and the broader community. We’d like to thank our partner, Prince William County Public Schools, for their support and commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of our students in Prince William County.”