 
Suggested Route to School maps are the key to keeping youngsters safe when they walk or bike to school. The maps have easily understood symbols to show where crossing guards, traffic signals, and stop signs are located.
Click for a listing of schools in Lakewood from the Service Guide A-to-Z
Safely back to school
It depends on parents, students and the public Getting 15,000 students back to school safely each fall is a big job that the city has assisted since Lakewood’s founding in the 1950’s. The back-to-school effort has three elements: classroom instruction, the city’s Suggested Route to School maps, and Sheriff ’s traffic enforcement.
The city-sponsored program is oriented to elementary school students and covers safe walking and bike riding guided by the Suggested Route map for each school. Click for listing of Lakewood schools
"Each map shows youngsters the suggested route to walk or bike to their school,” explains Assistant to the City Manager Carol Flynn Jacoby. “The map also indicates the location of crossing guards, traffic signals and stop signs.” The city provides additional security for young pedestrians by staffing intersections along the routes with experienced crossing guards, some of whom have been working in Lakewood for over 20 years. Suggested Routes work best when parents and kids are committed to being attentive drivers, walkers and bike riders. When kids bring home the map, parents should spend time going over the route, pointing out the crosswalks and intersections they’ll encounter on the way to school. Even better, parents should walk the route with their children.
Pedestrians should take the most direct route to and from school. Maps are sent home through Lakewood elementary schools and are also available online. Always stop, look all four ways and listen before crossing the street. Cross the street only at corners and crosswalks, not between parked cars. Walk or ride with a group of people; there is safety in numbers. Bicycles must be ridden on the right side of the road, in the direction of traffic. Wear a secure-fitting, safety-approved helmet when riding a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, or skates. It’s the law! Obey parking rules when you stop or park. Do not temporarily park where it’s illegal. Reduce vehicle speed to 25 mph or slower when driving in a school zone.Hazards when dropping off or picking up kids  Lakewood’s elementary and high school students would face one less daily hazard if some of those parents resolved to be more careful when they drop off or pick up their children. To reinforce student safety, the city has an ordinance that permits sheriff's deputies to cite thoughtless parents who drop off children in a manner that encourages students to jaywalk through traffic. Safety tips for parents
- The only safe way to drop off your youngsters is to pull up to the curb in front of the school or at a safe location where youngsters can walk to the end of the block and cross to school through an intersection controlled by a stop sign, signal or crossing guard.
- Double parking for a quick drop off is particularly hazardous for small children, who are invisible behind an SUV or a van until they dart in front of oncoming traffic.
- Do not let your children exit a car on the traffic side of your vehicle. Be aware, drivers can be cited for unsafely loading or unloading children near schools.
- Caution your youngsters to watch out for cars pulling out of driveways, and always wait for a crossing guard to control traffic before starting to cross the street.
- Reduce vehicle speed to 25 mph or slower when driving in a school zone.
“The only safe way to drop off your youngsters,” Jacoby points out, “is to pull up to the curb in front of the school or at a safe location where youngsters can walk to the end of the block and cross to the school through an intersection controlled by a stop sign, signal, or crossing guard. Double and triple parking for a quick drop off is particularly hazardous for small children, who are invisible behind an SUV or a van until they dart in front of oncoming traffic.” Jacoby urges parents to caution youngsters walking to school to watch out for cars pulling out of driveways. She also advises parents to instruct youngsters to wait for the crossing guard to control traffic before starting to cross the street. Careless parents are Jacoby's greatest fear. “We do everything we can to help youngsters get safely to and from school – maps, targeted traffic law enforcement, and bike and pedestrian education programs,” Jacoby points out. “We do everything we can . . . but we can't make every parent act responsibly.”
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