Shared Use and Safe Routes to School: Managing the Fear of Liability

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Safe Routes to School was first introduced at the federal level as part of the 2005 federal transportation bill. Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, H.R. 3, 109th Cong. § 1404, H.R. 3 (2005).

McDonald N. C. Steiner R. L. Lee C. , “Impact of the Safe Routes to School Program on Walking and Bicycling,” Journal of the American Planning Association 80, no. 2 (2014): 243–248.

Davison K. K. Werder J. L. Lawson C. T. , “Children's Active Commuting to School: Current Knowledge and Future Directions,” Preventing Chronic Disease 5, no. 3 (2008): 1–11, available at <www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2483568/pdf/PCD53A100.pdf> (last visited February 19, 2015); McMillan T. E. , Walking and Biking to School, Physical Activity and Health Outcomes, Active Living Research, May 2009, available at <http://activelivingresearch.org/walking-and-biking-school-physical-activity-and-health-outcomes> (last visited February 19, 2015).

Singh A. Utjdtdewilligen L. Twisk J.W.R. , “Physical Activity and Performance at School: A Systematic Review of the Literature Including a Methodological Quality Assessment,” Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 166, no. 1 (2012): 49–55, available at <http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1107683> (last visited February 19, 2015); Trost S. G. , Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance, Active Living Research, Summer 2009, available at <http://activelivingresearch.org/files/ALR_Brief_ActiveEducation_Summer2009.pdf> (last visited February 19, 2015).

Geier A. B. Foster G. D. Womble L. G. , “The Relationship between Relative Weight and School Attendance among Elementary Schoolchildren,” Obesity 15, no. 8 (2007): 2157–2617.

Cox L. Berends V. Sallis J. F. , “Engaging School Governance Leaders to Influence Physical Activity Policies,” Journal of Physical Activity and Health 8, Supp. 1 (2011): S40–S48; Spengler J. O. Connaughton D. P. Maddock J. E. , “Liability Concerns and Shared Use of School Recreational Facilities in Underserved Communities,” American Journal of Preventative Medicine 41, no. 4 (2011): 415–420.

86 C.J.S. Torts § 2.

See e.g., Scott v. Farrar, 139 Cal. App. 3d 462 (1983); Gilmore v. City of Zion, 605 N.E.2d 110 (Ill. App. Ct. 1992); Honeycutt v. City of Wichita, 836 P.2d 1128 (Kan. 1992).

Zimmerman S. Kramer K. Trowbridge M. J. , “Overcoming Legal Liability Concerns for School-Based Physical Activity Promotion,” American Journal of Public Health 103, no. 11 (2013): 1962–1967.

Spengler J. O. Carroll M. S. Connaughton D. P. Evenson K. E. , “Policies to Promote Physical Activity on School Grounds: A Review of State Recreational User Statutes,” American Journal of Preventative Medicine 39, no. 1 (2010): 81–88.