SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A new initiative was introduced Wednesday morning (Feb. 15) by the St. Tammany Parish Public School System to promote public safety for students on school grounds.
Partnered with the City of Slidell the school board is bringing awareness to the importance of bus and car line safety with the first “Safe Path to School” Day.
The day marks the one-year anniversary of the death of 6-year-old Emma Savoie who was struck and killed in 2022 while crossing the car lane in front of her school. All students were encouraged to wear yellow in her honor.
“We chose to wear yellow today, as a sign of yield. We yield to pedestrians in the right of way. And every child you see wearing a yellow shirt today should be a sign of yield to any person in a vehicle or not. These are our children, they take priority over vehicles,” said the Father of Emma Savoie, Brent Savoie.
On Feb. 23, 2022, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office reported just after dismissal at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, a group of children was attempting to cross a parking lot. A member of the school staff was directing traffic when Savoie ran out in front of a moving truck.
She was taken to Slidell Memorial Hospital where she later died from her injuries.
The Emma Bell Foundation and the Safe Path to School Task Force were created by Emma’s family in her honor to promote student safety and suggest changes to:
- Infrastructure to school parking lots,
- School zones
- Public streets
- School processes addressing students moving throughout the school grounds
The goal is to ensure school parking lots and surrounding streets are safe for students.
Emma Savoie press conference Feb. 24, 2022
Stay updated with the latest news, weather, and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play store and subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.