Walk to School Day News Release Template
The following template news release can be tailored to engage the media surrounding Walk to School
Day in California. The template can also be modified to alert the media about any Safe Routes to School
(SRTS) event being organized throughout the year. See the SRTS Technical Assistance Resource Center’s
(TARC) website for additional materials to help you prepare for Walk to School events.
Using the Template

Event Details: Fill in the bracketed/highlighted areas with information about your organization,
event, and other relevant details as prompted. Links have been provided to help you find data
specific to your community. Your press release will have a greater impact if it includes a quote
from an elected official, school official, or representative from a local government department.
See TARC’s Walk to School Talking Points for Local Programs document for ideas to share with
your selected official or representative.
Note: This template is written for an event held the first Wednesday in October, commonly
referred to as Walk to School Day; your event may take place on a different date and should be
modified in the template.

Logo: If your organization or program has a logo or letterhead, you are encouraged to use it for
your press release. You may also use the logo developed by TARC which is shown above. The
logo can be accessed here, and is customizable to include your organization’s name.

Contact Information: It is important to choose a point person for the news release who will be
available both once the release is distributed and throughout the event. Use the contact phone
number that has the greatest likelihood of reaching the person.

Length: The ideal news release is no longer than one page in length.

Distribution: A few days or the day before the event, distribute the release to local media
contacts (television, radio, and newspaper). Email, fax, mail and hand-delivery are all ways to
distribute the release.

Materials: Have copies of the news release available at the event. You may also wish to have
information about your program available to distribute and talking points on hand (see Walk to
School Talking Points for Local Programs on TARC’s website for ideas).
Please see next page for press release template.
For Immediate Release
[Release date]
[Your logo or letter head here]
Contact:
[Name, number and email]
[City, County, area] school[s] celebrate[s] International Walk to School Day
[City], California -- [Name of School, participating organizations, etc.] in [city or county] will welcome Fall
by participating in International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012. Students and
their families, along with teachers and community leaders [names if possible/applicable of local officials,
community organizations, etc.] will be joining schools from around the nation and the world to celebrate
walking and rolling to school.
Held on the first Wednesday of every October, Walk to School Day is an internationally recognized day
to celebrate the benefits of active transportation by encouraging school children to walk and bicycle to
school. Cities and local health departments join in the celebration by urging schools across the State to
take part in Walk or Roll to School Day. “[Insert statement from school, city department, city/county
health department, or other local participating organization. See Walk to School Talking Points
document for ideas.]” said [Name of representative, title, department name].
Pedestrian and bicycle and traffic injuries are a major threat to [city or county]’s school age children.
[Use the following two sources to find pedestrian/bicyclist collision and injury data for your community:
EpiCenter and the Transportation and Injury Mapping System bicycle/pedestrian collision maps]. Walk
to School activities provide opportunities for communities to address safety concerns around schools.
Reducing the risk of injury includes teaching children age-appropriate walking and bicycling skills,
reminding drivers to be extra vigilant in watching for young walkers and bicyclists, and identifying and
eliminating hazardous conditions along routes to school that need to be fixed. Additionally, [Use the
Kidsdata.org’s weight data to find student obesity data by county and school-district and Kidsdata.org’s
fitness data to find student fitness levels by county and school-district]. Walk to School activities can
also help children reach the minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week as
recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General.
[If this information is available] [Name of school or community] will start walking or bicycling to school
at [Time] a.m., with walking school buses and bicycle trains arriving at school by [Time] a.m. Once at
school, students will [List any additional event details such as give-aways, signs, etc].
For additional information about this event, please contact [Name] at [Phone number; if possible, give a
cell phone number that allows media to contact the individual during the event.] For more information
about Walk to School Day in California, visit the Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource
Center website at www.casaferoutestoschool.org or the California Walk to School Headquarters at
www.caactivecommunities.org/w2s/.
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