10/08/2026
Safe Routes to School, Walking School Buses, and Bike Buses only work when schools stay close to our communities.
As district leaders evaluate rightsizing proposals, Oregon Walks is urging decision-makers to align these choices with the district’s own values. In 2022, the Portland Public Schools Board passed the Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice, and Sustainable Practices Policy to guide district operations, facilities, and health. Protecting walkable, rollable neighborhoods is essential to fulfilling that pledge and protecting years of hard-won progress.
Active transportation builds confidence, removes daily transit hurdles, and helps kids show up to class consistently, directly tackling Oregon’s chronic absenteeism crisis. Pushing schools farther away worsens dangerous pick-up traffic, burdens low-income families without cars, and shifts heavy financial and time costs onto parents.
The true cost of transportation is measured in health, equity, safety, and student attendance, not just miles. We call on PPS to treat these transportation impacts as central, decisive factors in every rightsizing choice.
