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Mooney Elementary launches 'bike bus' to get students to school; volunteers, donations and grant support helmets
Summary
Assistant Principal Mayetta Ali told the Crete Monee school board that Mooney Elementary ran an inaugural 'bike bus' in which volunteers, the SRO and EMA closed streets for a supervised ride; a local nonprofit donated bikes and helmets and a grant funded bells and certificates.
Mayetta Ali, assistant principal at Mooney Elementary School, told the Crete Monee School Board on May 12 that the school ran its inaugural "bike buzz" — a supervised "bike bus" that invited students and families to ride to and from school.
"We invited our families, students, faculty, and staff to participate in a fun bike ride to and from school," Ali said, describing how the safety team worked with the school resource officer and local emergency management to close streets and keep students safe. She said the school secured a grant to purchase bells and certificates and that local nonprofit Bikes in the Hood donated bicycles and helmets to children who needed them.
Teacher Michelle Smith, who helped organize the event, said staff and volunteers met several times to plan safe routes and logistics. "We constructed many meetings to decide how we could get these kids and parents safely to school," Smith said. A student who participated described riding through the rain as "really fun," and parent Danisha Kojo thanked administration for enabling family engagement: "This was absolutely amazing," she said.
Ali showed a roughly two‑minute video of the event, which she said drew grandparents, parents and many volunteers despite rainy conditions. Staff surveyed families afterward and used survey funds to buy small incentives such as bike bells; the grant money was reserved for helmets but ultimately the nonprofit donation supplied helmets so the grant dollars were redirected to certificates and bells, Ali said.
Board members praised the turnout and encouraged other schools in the district to consider similar programs. The board noted volunteers, the SRO and coordination with local police and emergency management were critical to keeping the route safe. Ali said the district hopes to expand the program to other schools in future years.
The board did not take formal action on the program during the meeting; the presentation was an administrative update included in the meeting packet.
