JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mandarin Middle School is inviting parents and community members to weigh in on proposed safety improvements around the school at a public meeting Thursday evening.
The meeting runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the school, located at 5100 Hood Road.
It is part of Florida’s Safe Routes to School program, a state initiative through the Florida Department of Transportation designed to make walking and biking to school safer for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Attendees can expect to hear about:
An overview of the Safe Routes to School program
Completed activities and data collection at the school
Proposed infrastructure improvements
Next steps for grant funding
Read the public meeting plan below:
The program’s goal is to remove barriers that currently prevent children from safely walking or biking to school — including missing or unsafe infrastructure and a lack of community education programs, according to FDOT.
The meeting comes as some parents have raised concerns about conditions around the school. One parent commented online ahead of the meeting, calling the situation urgent.
“Morning drop off and afternoon pick-up are a traffic fatality waiting to happen, to no fault of the school or DCPS,” the parent wrote.
Florida’s Safe Routes to School program helps communities plan, fund, and build improvements that encourage students to walk or bike to school safely. A successful program, according to FDOT, integrates safety, traffic relief, health, environmental awareness, and physical activity.
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