April 30, 2026

On April 29, close to 240 students, along with teachers, parents, and sheriff’s deputies, met at Lebright Park for the morning’s Walk & Roll Bike-to-School Day. Hughson Youth Baseball and Softball handed out donuts, fruit and milk while families mingled and members of Safe Kids Stanislaus County fitted children for helmets provided by Health Services Agency. Safe Kids Stanislaus County is led by Doctors Medical Center of Modesto and the Stanislaus County Police Activities League.

Hughson Elementary School Teacher Cheryl Smith was one of the parents who took her child to check the fit of her helmet. “We also found out that my daughter's getting to be replaced soon because she's almost outgrown it. As a parent, you think, ‘they've got the helmet on, they're good to go,’ but you don’t know if it doesn't fit right, so this serves a purpose,” Smith said.

That morning, Smith learned the “2 2 2 Rule,” a simple guideline to ensure a safe and snug helmet fit: two fingers above the eyebrows, the straps forming a “V” shape around the ears with two fingers’ space, and no more than two fingers fitting between the chinstrap and chin.

Wednesday's late start made it easy for Hughson teachers to participate. Smith encountered parents who took time off from work to participate with their children. Smith visited with multiple students that morning and walked hand in hand to school with some former students.

Parent participation stood out to Safe Kids Coordinator Rena Bryant, along with the remarkable turnout. “It was so amazing,” Bryant said. “So many people participating, it's just such positive engagement. The kids were all excited, and the parents were eager to learn. We have done this in the past, in other communities with sparse participation. I was so impressed. They did a great job.”

Dr. Jeff Persons, Principal of Fox Road Elementary School, said it’s all a part of being in a small community. “You see a lot of parents, and so that's what got Safe Kids’ attention, the fact that parents are participating in the children's lives, I told them, on a daily basis. You see the parents dropping off kids, picking them up, participating as PTC members, or, like what we had today. When we have Halloween, Christmas parades, the parents are always participating,” he said.

In the morning, Safe Kids handed out forty free helmets to Hughson youth.

After school, Safe Kids was back with the Sheriff’s Department at Fox Road Elementary School to set up a Bike Safety Rodeo on the Fox Road blacktop. The rodeo provided another opportunity for children to be fitted for and receive a free helmet. Safe Kids brought a total of 100 helmets to Hughson and left any remaining ones from the event with the school.

In the rodeo, students could walk, roll, or ride through the obstacle course, stopping at stations representing stop signs, railroad crossing arms, car lights, school buses, and more; learning and practicing their turn signals, how to make sure the driver sees them, and receiving coaching on how to navigate these common traffic encounters while traveling through town.

Dr. Jeff Persons, Principal of Fox Road Elementary School, was delighted to see the turnout. From his encounters with his students, Persons recognized that some students may not own helmets because of the cost or the effort required to obtain them. Events like this remove those barriers and can help teach children at a young age the importance of making helmet use the norm. “As they start to get into the older grades, I think it becomes more and more social pressure,” Persons said. For this reason, Fox Road Elementary actively rewards and recognizes students who practice good bike safety.

On a given day, Persons estimate 10% of Fox Road students are biking to school.

Key lessons from the day:

When biking to school, follow the rules of the road, Community Resource Deputy Sanjay Prasad said.

Always wear a helmet and ensure it fits properly.

Once on campus, students must walk their bikes or scooters.

To learn more, visit the Safe Kids website for resources or the California DMV for information on traffic laws for cyclist safety.