Safe Routes to School for Santa Monica & Malibu Schools
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board Members
According to the California Department of Public Health, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 14 in Los Angeles County. Research suggests that this is due in part to known childhood development patterns. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, children's peripheral vision is about one-third narrower than an adult’s, and their developing ears struggle to identify the direction of approaching engine noise. A separate study found that children under age 12 cannot reliably judge the approach speed of cars traveling faster than 20 miles per hour, often perceiving a speeding vehicle as far away until the last moment.
Because adults know that children are still developing the focus, spatial awareness, and impulse control needed to handle split-second hazards, it is adults' responsibility to make street safety around our schools a priority.
Join us in advocating to make Santa Monica and Malibu's streets safer for our children, seniors, and entire community! By adopting a dedicated Safe Routes to School Policy, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District can work more effectively with cities to prioritize traffic safety, enhance school site safety plans, and ensure every student has a safe, accessible journey to school.
Sign this petition today to urge the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Board to adopt a Safe Routes to School Policy.
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Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board Members
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Every student in Santa Monica and Malibu deserves a safe, accessible journey to and from school. Yet SMMUSD remains the only district among our peer districts in the Bay League that has not formally adopted a dedicated Board Policy or Administrative Regulation for Safe Routes to School. While the California School Boards Association (CSBA) has provided sample policy 5142.2 for nearly two decades, and neighboring districts like Culver City and Manhattan Beach have codified these standards, SMMUSD has left a critical gap in student safety governance.
We, the undersigned community members, urge the SMMUSD Board of Education to adopt Board Policy 5142.2 and Administrative Regulation 5142.2.
Why Immediate Action Is Needed
Closing the Regional Policy Gap: Peer districts have long established formal administrative frameworks to prioritize student transit safety, leaving SMMUSD behind in prioritizing pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.
Fulfilling State Safety Mandates: California Education Code § 32282(a)(2)(G) requires School Site Safety Plans to address student ingress and egress, reinforced by California Department of Education guidance directing districts to embed safe routes into these plans. Currently, local school site safety plans omit these essential assessments.
Removing Interagency Roadblocks: State statute under Public Resources Code § 21080.25 explicitly provides CEQA statutory exemptions for bike and pedestrian safety improvements in the public right-of-way. A unified district policy ensures SMMUSD collaborates effectively with municipal partners rather than delaying street improvements.
What Adopting BP & AR 5142.2 Achieves
By adopting this policy and administrative regulation, the Board will:
Commit to Vision Zero: Formally adopt the standard of eliminating traffic deaths and severe injuries among children and community members through proactive civic partnerships with the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu.
Appoint a District Coordinator: Establish an official District Safe Routes to School Coordinator to work with the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu and coordinate school-site activities.
Formalize Municipal Partnerships: Direct the Superintendent to establish enforceable Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu to clarify roles and sustain crossing guard programs.
Ensure Compliance in Safety Plans: Require every school site’s Comprehensive School Safety Plan to account for safe ingress and egress per Education Code requirements.
Implement a Comprehensive Action Framework: Direct district strategies across Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Engineering, Evaluation, Emerging technologies, Emergency response, and Equity.
Our Call to the Board
Traffic violence around our campuses is preventable. Student health, environmental stewardship, and basic safety require leadership and clear policy.
We urge the Board of Education to vote to adopt BP 5142.2 and AR 5142.2 and work with city partners to ensure every child in Santa Monica and Malibu can travel safely to school.