Next week, they will start classes at Chicago public schools. CPS has just announced the expansion of the Safe Passage program to ensure that more children will safely cross the road to and from school.

 

Safe Passage routes are controlled by specially trained people who guard the safety of students going to classes. Employees are visible from a distance, dressed in special yellow reflective vests with reflective materials, equipped with mobile phones and GPS devices, and in case of any problems, contact the police department.

 

In this school year, three more facilities have been added to the Safe Transition program, which raises the total number of schools covered by the program to 160.

 

About 76,000 students from about a quarter of all schools in the district will attend classes along the Safe Passage route. They wear the same safety clothing with reflective tapes which can produce their safety when they cross the road to and from school. 160 schools in the program represent an increase of around 500 percent since the program was launched in 2012.

 

Resident Chatham, Lavelle Jones, said he was pleased that Dinesen Elementary was added to the program this year.

 

“I think it’s great. I know the operation of the Safe Passage program from other districts. The kids get to know the employees and create a positive relationship when they see familiar faces going to and coming back from school, “he said.

 

Other schools added this year to the program include O’Keeffe Elementary School in the South Shore and Pickard Elementary School in the Lower West Side.

 

City officials reported that the number of crimes on the Safe Way routes has decreased by 9 percent compared to 2017.