Outreach Coordinators Meet with Lubbock Council of PTA Presidents

Sherman Phillips and Durwood Mayfield met with the Lubbock Council of PTA Presidents on Thursday, February 16. Their goal for inclusion on the agenda was to reach as many PTAs and presidents as possible and to inform the Lubbock school administration about the upcoming Bike & Walk to School Day on April 27.

Lubbock’s Superintendent of Schools, Wayne Havens, spoke on the future of grade realignment in the Lubbock Independent School District. He also addressed the problem of overweight students and the need for healthier eating habits and more active lifestyles. One of his concerns was the reduction of physical education classes in the middle schools and the inactivity of all students after school. It was interesting to note that his concerns closely parallel those of BikeTexas Safe Routes to School.

Coalition staff also learned about the Yellow Dyno Method of Child Abuse Prevention, a new method to address the perceived and outdated concept of “stranger danger”. This program teaches children how to recognize and identify deceptive behavior practices. It also teaches that children have “the right to be safe”. Again, this program parallels the BikeTexas Safe Routes to School program by identifying and overcoming obstacles, whether actual or perceived.

Subsequently, Phillips and Mayfield presented an overview of the Coalition’s Safe Routes program. They told the audience of approximately 100 PTA presidents and Lubbock ISD staff and faculty how many teachers had been trained in the Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum in the Lubbock area. They also informed the audience that when students bike and walk to school, they arrive more alert and ready to learn. The audience appeared receptive and ready to support Bike & Walk to School Day in Lubbock.