JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Faculties (DCPS) has launched a security initiative referred to as “Be Protected. Be Seen.” to handle a rising disaster: college students being hit by vehicles.
This faculty 12 months alone, the district mentioned at the least 13 college students have been struck by automobiles, three of whom tragically misplaced their lives.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier recalled the heartbreaking second he realized a few pupil being hit close to Atlantic Coast High School.
“Final Friday on the Martin Luther King breakfast, I acquired the textual content in the midst of the assembly,” Bernier mentioned. “He mentioned, ‘We simply had a pupil hit at Atlantic Coast, and it doesn’t appear to be she’s gonna make it. We gotta do one thing higher.’”
MORE: Driver arrested in Flagler Estates hit-and-run that left 14-year-old critically injured | 15-year-old dies after being hit by car at 5-way intersection while riding bike home from Fletcher High game
Throughout a city corridor Tuesday night time, Bernier shared that incidents should not occurring in class zones.
“They’re occurring in areas the place drivers should not anticipating college students to be, the place doubtlessly there’s a scarcity of sidewalks that the town and different county individuals ought to have put in, and the place generally our kids are making some tough selections to cross 4 lanes of street versus ready until an intersection, placing the driving force in danger as properly,” Bernier mentioned.
In response to DCPS, third most harmful metropolitan space in Florida for pedestrians and cyclists.
The “Be Protected. Be Seen.” initiative focuses on classroom instruction to show college students the right way to safely stroll and bike to high school. It additionally options public service announcement (PSA) movies with metropolis leaders, together with School Board Vice Chair April Carney, District 4 Representative Darryl Willie, Sheriff T.K. Waters, and Mayor Donna Deegan.
RELATED: 17-year-old Ed White senior dies 2 days after being struck in hit-and-run crash on Blanding Blvd
Educators like Hannah Sarte, a paraprofessional at Vacation Hill Elementary, mentioned the marketing campaign is essential as a result of she witnesses harmful driving each day and worries for the security of scholars in high-traffic areas.
“I see individuals operating by means of cease indicators. You must educate your youngsters, however we additionally, as a group, have to be higher at following and being conscious of our environment,” Sarte mentioned.
She additionally confused the necessity for broader group involvement.
“It’s nice that this begins in colleges, however it must transcend that,” she mentioned. “There are areas like Atlantic Boulevard and Seaside Boulevard the place little children, 5 or 6 years previous, are strolling round in high-traffic zones. Our group has tons of alternatives to do higher.”
The marketing campaign formally ends on Friday, however DCPS hopes its message will go away a long-lasting influence on the group—guaranteeing that each pupil will get to and from faculty safely.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
