Photos from the Aug. 27 Walk and Roll to school event, courtesy of Decatur Active Living.

Schools in Decatur hold regular Walk and Roll events to encourage kids and their parents to find a healthier way to get to school, and this morning CNN tagged along.

According to Decatur Active Living Assistant Director Cheryl Burnette, CNN filmed the walk and bike ride to school as part of a larger story about the Georgia Safe Routes to School Program.

“They wanted some in the metro area and of course they came to us because we have such an awesome program,” Burnette said.

Heather Tell, who is the Oakhurst Elementary School Champion, serves as the school’s liaison to the city’s Safe Routes to School Committee. She’s also an Oakhurst mom, with children in the first and third grades.

Tell said about 300 kids participated in today’s event, but she said even when news cameras aren’t there, turnout is usually good for the Walk and Roll days. The total enrollment at Oakhurst this year is about 460 students, and the school continues to add more. Tell said alternative transportation is more important to the school than it has ever been.

“With the challenge we face with growing enrollment, we see there’s more congestion around school campuses than ever and that’s something we’re trying to reduce by encouraging people to walk,” Tell said.

Burnette said the story is supposed to run sometime before International Walk and Roll to School Day on Oct. 8

Photos from the Aug. 27 Walk and Roll to school event, courtesy of Decatur Active Living.

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