Austin ISD and the City of Austin's Safe Routes to Schools will partner to emphasize safety at the 14th annual Back to School Bash on Aug. 3.
The event, held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road, brings thousands of families together to prepare students for the new school year.
Free transportation is provided for AISD families every 30-45 minutes beginning at 6:30 a.m. from several AISD campuses. A list of transportation locations can be viewed on the district website. The event is free and open to the community.
“Now in its 14th year we are #AISDProud to once again partner with the City of Austin to provide families with much needed resources to prepare them for the new school year,” Superintendent Paul Cruz said. “We’d also like to thank our sponsors for their support and commitment to our students and families.”
Some of the key services provided at the free event include:
• More than 4,500 free Backpacks filled with school supplies will be provided to AISD students, while supplies last.
• Presentations on safety and educational best practices to help prepare students and parents for first day of school and beyond,
• Free health screenings and booster seats,
• Interpretation available in American Sign Language, Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Farsi, Kinyarwanda, Mandarin, Spanish, Pashto, Swahili and Vietnamese,
The Back to School Bash aims to give students everything they need to take advantage of the quality education offered at AISD, while promoting safety in and outside the school.
Since 1991, the city of Austin's Safe Routes to School Program has educated students on pedestrian and bicycle safety by making walking and biking to school safe, convenient and fun for students and families.
AISD urges community members to recognize the importance of school bus safety, especially by not passing school buses that are displaying flashing red lights.
AISD's Department of Transportation continues to encourage drivers to reduce their speed when driving near schools and to follow posted signs that require drivers to slow down to 20 miles per hour or less when lights are flashing. Failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks or stop when school bus lights are flashing and speeding through school zones when lights are flashing could result in a fine.
The district's transportation team would like to reinforce several safety tips for students:
• Always remain in direct eyesight of the bus driver.
• Arrive at the bus stop in plenty of time, at least five minutes prior to the scheduled time.
• Take 10 giant steps back from the curb while waiting for the bus and 10 steps away from the curb when exiting the bus.
• Never try to re-board the bus without the driver's permission to retrieve an item after exiting.
• Never reach underneath the bus.
• Always follow the driver's directions for how to cross the street.
• Be alert to traffic and look both ways.
• Always cross in front of the bus, but only when the bus driver signals it is safe.
Special thanks to this year’s Back to School Bash sponsors include; A+ Federal Credit Union, Dell Children's Medical Center | Kids in Cars, Chalk Ink, Undies for Everyone, Spectrum News, The Neighborhood, Capital Metro, AAA, Austin Oaks Hospital, and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union, Children’s Health Express, Ascension Seton, Half Price Books-North Lamar, and Crockett Early College High School Cosmetology.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available. To become a sponsor, please submit a registration form and a staff member will contact you with more details. For more sponsorship information, please contact Milli Christner at milli.christner@austinisd.org or 512-414-4860.
The Back to School Bash collaboration includes more than 150 departments from AISD, City of Austin and Travis County, non-government organizations and other entities that seek to help the community.