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Walking School Bus Program Transforms Attendance in a School District in Washington

The β€œWalking School Bus” program at Regal Elementary in Spokane, Washington, helps students with attendance and promotes trust between the children and school staff, reported KXLY News.

The program pairs teachers and volunteers with students who need help getting to school. The volunteers walk door to door, collecting students and walking them safely to school each day.

According to the article, the program was initiated with the aim of helping students with attendance problems. Tony Debari, a counselor at the school, said that transportation issues often keep students from attending school.

Debari said the program has shown clear results, with 88 percent of students participating with the Walking School Bus having improved their attendance. Most participants now miss nine or fewer days per year.


Related: Study: School Buses Can Reduce Kindergarten Absenteeism

School staff also noticed that students are more excited about school and that morning walks have become a positive start to each day. The Walking School Bus runs Monday through Friday with volunteers maintaining consistent routes and schedules.

According to the news report, the program not only helps families who struggle to get their children to school consistently but also to build relationships and increase trust between students and staff.

The school reportedly plans to expand the program next year. The expansion could help more students and families who could benefit from transportation and community support.


Related:Β Walking Programs Save Some Students Left Without School Buses
Related:Β Florida Fathers and Father Figures Join Students for Walking School Bus
Related:Β Washington State Walking School Bus Program Provides Link to Community Engagement
Related:Β On the Block

The post Walking School Bus Program Transforms Attendance in a School District in Washington appeared first on School Transportation News.

Washington School Bus Driver Fatally Injured During Crash

A Lynden School District bus driver in Lyden Washington, died following a traffic incident, reported KPUG News.

The incident occurred May 1, when the school bus driven by Annette Lyon collided with a white SUV just before 8 a.m.

According to the news report, there were no students on board the bus or involved in the crash. Lyon had been with the district since 2021.

Police said via the article that the SUV driver was sent to a local hospital with unknown injuries. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage is being asked to contact authorities.


Related:Β Pennsylvania School Bus Driver Dies as Result of Crash
Related:Β Over a Dozen Injured in a New Jersey School Bus Crash
Related:Β Massachusetts School Bus Driver Crashes into Trees Due to Medical Emergency
Related:Β Michigan School Bus Driver Charged in Fatal Crash

The post Washington School Bus Driver Fatally Injured During Crash appeared first on School Transportation News.

Commentary: Why businesses stood up for Washington state’s cap-and-invest policy

Several white wind turbines sit on brown hills in southern Washington.

The following commentary was written by Kelley Trombley, senior manager of state policy at Ceres.Β See our commentary guidelinesΒ for more information.


This campaign season, the state of Washington was a battleground for energy and climate policy. The pitched fight over Initiative 2117 became one of the most expensive ballot measures in state history, drawing millions of dollars in political funding to each side of the issue, which would have repealed Washington’s Climate Commitment Act to end its nation-leading cap-and-invest system. In its first year alone, the policy has driven $2.2 billion into projects designed to protect the state from the effects of climate change while fighting pollution, but faced opposition from those who argued it hurt the economy.Β 

Yet it was some of the top employers in the state – and for that matter on the planet – that urged voters to keep the program in place. Amazon, Microsoft, and REI were among the many companies urging a no vote. And in the end, voters agreed, decisively defeating the ballot measure by a wide margin. It turns out that this kind of climate action is actually an economic boon.Β 

The strong showing of corporate support for the CCA shouldn’t be surprising. Take it from me and my colleagues at Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit that works with businesses and investors across the country on sustainability issues. Over the last decade, leading businesses have increasingly come to recognize that climate and clean energy policies are key economic drivers. Business leaders have rallied to support them – from the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, marking the nation’s largest-ever investment into confronting climate change, to ambitious legislation in states across the U.S., including here in Washington.Β 

To understand why, just think about what businesses need to prosper. Reliable and affordable electricity to power their operations. Good transportation networks to ensure people and goods can get where they need to be. Infrastructure investment and job growth to bolster local economies. Market-based systems to efficiently solve pressing economywide problems. And, last but not least, a healthy workforce.Β 

The CCA is delivering all of that.Β Β 

By putting a cap on carbon pollution designed to all but eliminate it by 2050, the policy uses basic economic principles to address the challenge and financial risks of climate change. It promises to reduce impacts such as floods, drought, heatwaves, and severe storms that threaten pillars of the economy that businesses depend on, such as infrastructure, facilities, supply chains, and workforces. Not only that, the CCA is also investing in improving and fortifying many of those very things: its revenue is being used to improve and modernize energy and transportation infrastructure, invest in energy efficiency, and protect communities from climate impacts. Repealing it was projected to cost some 45,000 good-paying jobs and do $9 billion in economic damage.Β 

Businesses understood the CCA is about protecting and strengthening our economic future, one that we are all in together. And voters did too. By voting no, Washington has signaled to companies across the U.S. that it is acting to address a major economic challenge and is investing in solutions that businesses of the future will rely on.Β Β 

There’s a lesson here for state policymakers around the country, especially those committed to strengthening their communities as an attractive and reliable place to conduct business. The private sector will continue to seize business opportunities as clean energy investment grows, and states will find broad support when they address the economic imperative to reduce pollution and advance clean power, transportation, and building policies. In Washington, voters made it abundantly clear that their β€œno” vote wasn’t about just protecting the climate. It was about protecting the economy as well.Β 

Commentary: Why businesses stood up for Washington state’s cap-and-invest policy is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

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