MacIver News Service | July 16, 2013
[Madison, Wisc…] First Lady Michelle Obama recently spoke in favor of “Walking School Buses” around the nation. This idea has cost the government almost $1 billion since 2005 to help kids walk to school with volunteer chaperones.The story below outlines the First Lady’s support of the program and was originally posted at CNSNews.com.
First Lady Michelle Obama is promoting walking to school as part of her anti-obesity campaign. In remarks to mayors gathered at the White House last week, the first lady singled out Knox County, Tenn., which – inspired by Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign — has created a bike-share program and something called a “walking school bus.”
“I’ve heard more and more of this kind of walking school bus happening all over the country — so that kids can get exercise on the way to school, kind of like we did when we were growing up,” she said.
A “walking school bus” is a group of children who walk to school with adult chaperones.
“You remember the miles of walking you did with a sweet potato in your pocket?” Mrs. Obama asked a laughing audience. “We all heard that story. My mother repeated it just yesterday. And that’s what Let’s Move! is all about,” she said. “That’s what we’re really trying to do here.
“It’s about people all across this country coming together to take action to support the health of our kids,” Mrs. Obama added. “We’ve seen it happen in cities, towns and rural areas across the United States.”
See the full article here.
The MacIver News Service reported on “Walking School Buses” in Wisconsin and found that the Department of Transportation gave out $6 million to local school districts to implement these programs.