Students, parents take to streets for Walk to School Day

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - Thousands of Southland students, along with parents, teachers and staffers, will take to the streets Wednesday to mark Walk to School Day, which not only promotes the health benefits of walking or biking to campus but encourages the development of safe routes for kids to travel to class.

Students in school districts across the Southland are expected to take part in the annual event.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner and school board president Monica Garcia are expected to walk with kids to class at Gratts Learning Academy for Young Learners near the Westlake area.

According to the district, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for Los Angeles kids aged 4 to 15, highlighting the need for safe routes for kids to walk to school. District officials said LAUSD has been working with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation since 2013 to improve traffic safety around school campuses.

Students at more than 120 LAUSD schools are expected to take part in today's Walk to School Day event. Across the county, more than 250 schools are expected to participate, along with more than 50 in Orange County.

In Manhattan Beach, about 3,000 kindergarten and elementary school students will walk with their parents to class. Some of the students will be carrying cardboard cutouts of a "walking school bus.''

Walk to School Day began in 1997, with organizers saying the effort has led to a year-round effort to improve safety for children walking or biking to campus. The event is held across the country, and internationally.