JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) has launched a safety initiative called “Be Safe. Be Seen.” to address a growing crisis: students being hit by cars.
This school year alone, the district said at least 13 students have been struck by vehicles, three of whom tragically lost their lives.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier recalled the heartbreaking moment he learned about a student being hit near Atlantic Coast High School.
“Last Friday at the Martin Luther King breakfast, I got the text in the middle of the meeting,” Bernier said. “He said, ‘We just had a student hit at Atlantic Coast, and it doesn’t look like she’s gonna make it. We gotta do something better.’”
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During a town hall Tuesday night, Bernier shared that incidents are not happening in school zones.
“They’re happening in areas where drivers are not expecting students to be, where potentially there’s a lack of sidewalks that the city and other county people should have put in, and where sometimes our children are making some difficult decisions to cross four lanes of road versus waiting till an intersection, putting the driver at risk as well,” Bernier said.
According to DCPS, third most dangerous metropolitan area in Florida for pedestrians and cyclists.
The “Be Safe. Be Seen.” initiative focuses on classroom instruction to teach students how to safely walk and bike to school. It also features public service announcement (PSA) videos with city leaders, including School Board Vice Chair April Carney, District 4 Representative Darryl Willie, Sheriff T.K. Waters, and Mayor Donna Deegan.
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Educators like Hannah Sarte, a paraprofessional at Holiday Hill Elementary, said the campaign is crucial because she witnesses dangerous driving daily and worries for the safety of students in high-traffic areas.
“I see people running through stop signs. You need to educate your children, but we also, as a community, need to be better at following and being aware of our surroundings,” Sarte said.
She also stressed the need for broader community involvement.
“It’s great that this starts in schools, but it needs to go beyond that,” she said. “There are areas like Atlantic Boulevard and Beach Boulevard where little kids, five or six years old, are walking around in high-traffic zones. Our community has tons of opportunities to do better.”
The campaign officially ends on Friday, but DCPS hopes its message will leave a lasting impact on the community—ensuring that every student gets to and from school safely.