Challenges of Safe Pathways to New Schools, by Amy Boulris
The Fort Mill Bypass / Whites Road intersection has three new schools in the highly rated Fort Mill School District. Down Whites Road, hundreds of students live in newly built neighborhoods – their parents buying homes within walking, biking, or rolling distance of the schools. Yet all of these children now ride in cars or a school bus because sidewalks between the new schools and neighborhoods were not completed.
Progress, but not Enough
Before Forest Creek Middle School opened in 2021, parents petitioned for a completed sidewalk to the Waterside at the Catawba neighborhood. With collaboration between agencies, a grant, and Town of Fort Mill matching funds, the sidewalk should be done in April 2025. Students can then walk to Forest Creek Middle and Catawba Ridge High School. But River Trail Elementary School, adjacent to Catawba Ridge High, will remain unconnected. Sidewalks stop abruptly on both sides of the creek that runs between the elementary and high schools. The school district and agencies did not secure enough funding to build a bridge accessible per the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Parents Ask Policymakers to Prioritize Students Need
Community members are now asking for help so that all students can walk, bike, or roll to the elementary school. This would help build community, support the environment and air quality, and improve physical and mental health. With the area’s housing density, thousands of students would benefit over time. Please help secure funding and appropriate design to complete this pathway between the schools. And please include safe pathways when building new communities and schools going forward.