Walk This Way
During the 2015-2016 school year, the JCSD School Board voted to enact walk zones for students in grades K-9 living within one mile of the school they attend and a 2-mile walk zone for Johnston High School students, grades 10-12. District-wide walk zones were implemented at the start of the 2016-17 school year.
When considering the walk zones, there are a number of factors examined, including: safety hazards such as busy roads and non-signal/light cross areas; the availability of sidewalks; and age of students walking these routes. Because each school’s site is unique, the results for walking and busing zones vary. As a reminder, Iowa Code calls for 2- and 3-mile walk zones for students grades K-8 and 9-12, respectively.
After many community discussions, it was decided to stagger implementation of walk zones over a number of years as the City made sidewalk and roadway improvements to different areas of the school district. In the case of Lawson, implementing walk zones was intentionally delayed to allow for construction project completion. As we prepare for the fall and realize the completion of the sidewalk project south of NW 62 AVE and the widening of NW 62 AVE, the board is positioned to evaluate the eligibility for Lawson families.