CHICAGO — Two more Chicago Public Schools will get their own Safe Passage routes this fall, bringing the total number of participating schools to 142, city officials announced Sunday.
The routes will be introduced near Al Raby High School, 3545 W. Fulton Blvd., and Dyett High School, 555 E. 51st St., which is reopening with an arts focus this year after being phased out between 2012 and 2015.
“It’s our goal to ensure that every child in the city of Chicago can get to the classroom safely on day one of the school year,” said district CEO Forrest Claypool, according to the announcement. “With added routes this year and continued support by our Safe Passage partners, safety won’t be a barrier to student learning.”
The Safe Passage program was launched in 2009 to keep students out of harm's way on their way to and from class. The program nearly doubled in size after the district closed 49 schools in 2013, spurring fears that students would have to cross rival gang territory to get to their new buildings.
This year, more than 1,300 representatives from 22 different churches and community organizations will patrol the routes in bright-colored vests during the morning and afternoon hours on school days, official said.
The program has "been demonstrated to improve attendance at schools served and to improve safety of surrounding communities served," according to the announcement.
Crime data has backed up this claim. A 2015 DNAinfo investigation found a sharp drop-off in the number of crimes reported on newly-designated Safe Passage routes.
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