North Texas Schools to Promote Student Health and Safety Oct. 8 with Walk & Roll to School Day
10/2/2025
100-plus area schools plan to participate in annual event
Arlington, TEXAS – From Fort Worth to Frisco and McKinney to Mansfield, students from across the Dallas-Fort Worth area will get a little more exercise on the way to school Oct. 8 in celebration of Walk & Roll to School Day.
More than 100 schools across the region are among 170-plus campuses throughout Texas that have signed up to host Walk & Roll to School Day events, according to the national website.
“The North Central Texas Council of Governments is encouraged to see so many schools and students planning to take part in in this annual celebration,” said Shawn Conrad, program manager, land-use and mobility options, NCTCOG. “Walking to school can be a fun alternative to riding the bus. But there are additional benefits for both students and their neighbors. Walking promotes community connection, healthier lifestyles, cleaner air and safer routes for students.”
Walk & Roll to School Day is led by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. From its founding in 1997 as a modest celebration, Walk & Roll to School Day has grown to include more than 2,000 events across the United States.
One way to entice more students to walk or bike to school is by improving safety around schools. NCTCOG periodically funds infrastructure projects, such as bicycle-pedestrian trails, sidewalks and crosswalks, through federal Transportation Alternatives funding. Since 2014, more than $42.8 million has been awarded to 47 Safe Routes to School projects through Transportation Alternatives calls for projects.
To provide a strategic framework for future improvements, NCTCOG developed the Safe Routes to School Regional Action Plan, which helps cities, school districts and communities create safer walking and biking paths for students. Adopted in June as part of Mobility 2050, the plan includes a transportation safety analysis designed to help guide infrastructure improvements. The plan encourages collaboration among local governments, school districts and transportation agencies to build a more sustainable and accessible school environment.
More information about NCTCOG’s Walk & Roll to School Day efforts is available here.
About the Regional Transportation Council:
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 45 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. More information can be found at NCTCOG.org.
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